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FIELD  LESSONS 

IN    THE 

GEOGRAPHY  AND  HISTORY 

OF 

THE  BOSTON  BASIN 

A   HANDBOOK  FOR   TEACHERS 

BY 

EVERETT   LAMONT   GETCHELL 


BOSTON 

LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY 

1910 

Bon-fUN   COLLEGE   IJBhA>  ' 
nB»TMTT  HILT.  M^" 


Copyright,  1910, 
By  Little,  Brown,  and  Company. 


All  rights  reserved 


■y,$<4* 


Printer* 
S.  J.  Paekhill  &  Co.,  Boston,  U.  S.  A. 


CONTENTS 

Page 

Introduction v 

Chapter 

I.    The  Boston  Basin 1 

II.    Roof  of  Schoolhouse 14 

III.  Arlington  Heights  .......  28 

IV.  Peabody  Museum 44 

V.    Roof  of  Schoolhouse  or  near-by  Hill  68 

VI.    Charlestown   Navy   Yard — Optional 

Field  Lessons 89 

VII.    Middlesex  Fells  Reservation   .     .     .  115 

VIII.    Cambridge  —  Historical 140 

IX.   Lantern  Lessons 167 

X.   Brief  Description  of  the  Geology  of 

The  Boston  Basin 172 


INTRODUCTION 

THE  following  Outline  of  Field  Lessons  is  the 
result  of  a  dozen  years  of  study  of  the  prob- 
lem of  teaching  Geography  in  the  grammar  grades. 
The  large  number  of  earnest,  progressive  teachers 
who  have  done,  and  are  still  doing  pioneer  work 
along  this  line  proves  the  need  of  some  systematic 
plan  in  giving  field  lessons  in  the  different  grades. 
Otherwise  the  pupil  may  be  taken  to  the  same  place 
by  successive  teachers,  and  altogether  miss  some 
of  the  most  valuable  trips.  By  following  some 
such  outline  as  is  here  given  every  pupil  will  have 
an  opportunity  to  visit  many  different  localities, 
and  acquaint  himself  at  first  hand  with  his  home 
city  and  all  its  advantages. 

There  are  few  sections  of  the  country  that  offer 
such  a  variety  of  attractive  subjects  for  field  les- 
sons as  Metropolitan  Boston.  This  region  is,  as 
Ex-President  Eliot  has  so  truly  said,  one  of  the 
most  interesting  historical  regions  in  the  United 
States,  and  one  of  the  most  beautiful  to  be  found 
here  or  in  Europe.  Nature  has  been  lavish  with 
her  charms;  she  has  given  us  sea  and  shore, 
rocky  headlands  and  broad,  smooth  beaches,  tidal 
marshes  with  their  sinuous  streams,  hill  and  valley, 
rugged  woodlands  and  sparkling  ponds  and  rivers, 


vi  INTRODUCTION 

—  in  short,  almost  every  variety  of  natural  scenery 
that  can  be  imagined.  A  wise  state  and  city  gov- 
ernment has  conserved  the  best  of  these  features, 
taking  for  the  free  use  of  all  her  people  broad  areas 
of  forest  and  shore  and  stream,  and  uniting  them 
into  the  finest  system  of  parks  on  this  continent, 
if  not  in  the  world.  These  parks  will  keep  in  ever- 
lasting remembrance  the  names  of  such  landscape 
architects  as  Eliot  and  Olmsted. 

The  historical  features  that  make  this  region  a 
Mecca  for  thousands  of  visitors  every  summer  are 
too  well  known  to  need  mention.  The  very  men- 
tion of  Lexington  and  Concord  and  Bunker  Hill, 
of  the  Old  North  and  the  Old  South  churches,  of 
Faneuil  Hall  and  Dorchester  Heights,  are  enough 
to  awaken  a  thrill  in  the  heart  of  every  boy  and 
girl  the  country  over.  To  be  within  reach  of  these 
historic  shrines  is  a  privilege  we  do  not  all  appre- 
ciate. To  allow  the  children  under  our  charge  to 
leave  school  without  having  visited  these  places 
is  to  neglect  one  of  the  greatest  opportunities 
offered  us. 

Metropolitan  Boston  is  rich  in  natural  scenery 
and  historical  associations,  and  it  offers  also  a 
field  of  study  to  the  amateur  geologist  and  the 
student  of  physical  geography  scarcely  surpassed 
by  any  region  of  similar  size  on  the  globe.  A  large 
variety  of  rocks,  crystalline,  igneous,  metamorphic 
and  sedimentary,  are  found  close  at  hand ;  the  most 
recent  geological  formations  are  brought  into  sharp 
contrast  with  very  ancient  rocks,  as  at  Revere 


INTRODUCTION  vii 

(post-pliocene)  and  Nahant  (eozoic).  Every  variety 
of  shore  form  is  offered  for  study;  while  rivers, 
streams,  brooks,  lakes,  swamps,  tidal  streams  and 
marshes  abound.  Every  kind  of  tree  and  shrub 
that  will  grow  in  a  temperate  climate  may  be  seen, 
and  in  many  places  are  labelled  for  study.  The 
student  of  botany  is  offered  an  almost  unrivalled 
opportunity  for  the  study  of  native  flora;  and 
hundreds  of  kinds  of  wild  birds,  animals  and  in- 
sects are  to  be  found  in  the  parks  and  woods. 

No  less  extensive  is  the  field  for  the  study  of  com- 
mercial and  industrial  geography.  Boston,  the 
second  port  in  the  United  States,  has  direct  trade 
relations  with  the  West  Indies,  Central  and  South 
America,  Europe,  Asia  and  the  Philippines.  Ships 
from  all  these  regions  may  be  seen  unloading  at 
her  wharves,  and  the  cargoes  and  crews  offer 
splendid  object  lessons  when  the  class  is  studying 
these  regions. 

Classes  may  profitably  study  at  first  hand  such 
leading  industries  as  the  leather,  wool  and  cotton 
trades,  the  fishing  industry,  sugar-refining,  meat- 
packing, the  wholesale  and  retail  lumber  trade, 
printing  and  book-binding,  and  a  great  variety  of 
other  industries  and  manufactures. 

With  the  wealth  of  material  offered,  the  task  has 
been  to  select  those  field  lessons  which  are  the 
most  valuable,  or  which  are  typical.  Necessarily,  in 
a  book  of  this  size,  only  a  small  part  of  the  field 
can  be  covered.  No  attempt  has  been  made  to 
touch  upon  the  broad  subject  of  Nature  Study. 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

Only  a  few  suggestions  have  been  attempted  in 
the  line  of  industrial  and  commercial  geography. 

Should  mistakes  be  found  in  the  following  pages, 
the  indulgence  of  the  reader  is  asked.  The  author 
has  tried  to  verify  statements  and  figures  wherever 
it  has  been  possible,  and  to  give  the  latest  facts 
obtainable. 

Acknowledgments  are  due  Professor  W.  0. 
Crosby,  from  whose  admirable  Geology  of  Eastern 
Massachusetts  and  Outlines  of  Lectures  before 
the  Teachers'  School  of  Science  most  of  the 
facts  relating  to  the  geology  of  the  region  have 
been  taken,  often  verbatim;  to  the  excellent 
guide-books  of  Boston  and  vicinity  by  Mr.  Edwin 
M.  Bacon,  where  many  interesting  historical  facts 
not  otherwise  obtainable  have  been  found:  and 
finally  to  Superintendents  Stratton  D.  Brooks  of 
Boston  and  Frank  E.  Parlin  of  Cambridge,  and 
the  late  Assistant  Superintendent  Robert  E. 
Burke  of  Boston,  for  inspiration  and  valuable 
suggestions. 

E.  L.  G. 

Dorchester,  Sept.  1,  1910. 


BOSTON  BASIN  ix 


OUTLINE  OF  FIELD  LESSONS 

FIELD  TRIPS.     GRADE  IV. 

1.    To  Roof  of  Schoolhouse  or  Near-by  Hill. 

a.  Typical  land  forms;  hill,  valley,  plain,  slope,  etc. 

b.  Typical  water  forms;   ocean,  bay,  strait,  stream, 
river. 

c.  Land  and  water  forms;  island,  peninsula,  isthmus, 
bluff,  pond,  beach. 

d.  Direction;   cardinal  points  of  the  compass;  where 
sun  rises  and  sets. 

(Note:    best  taken  as  four  very  elementary  field 
lessons.) 
^'Waverley. 

Study  of  a  brook  and  its  basin. 

Ponds,  waterfall,  erosion  of  valley,  flood-plain,  terraces. 
Elementary  glacial  forms;    boulders,   till,   sand-plain, 
esker. 
3.    Dome  of  State  House. 

Broad,  comprehensive  view  of  Boston  and  environs. 
Boston    harbor  /  islands,   Charles  and  Mystic  Rivers, 
suburbs. 
.  4."  Peabody  Museum,  Cambridge. 

Eskimos:  manners,  customs,  homes,  dress,  implements. 
5.    Local  History  Trip. 

A  study  of  the  Colonial  or  Revolutionary  relics  and 
monuments  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  school. 

FIELD  TRIPS.    GRADE  V. 

1.  Arlington  Heights. 

Study  of  soils:  rock  waste,  weathering,  coarse  and  fine 
soil. 

Boston  Basin  and  upland:  peneplain;  effects  of  weath- 
ering. 

Nature  study:  trees,  shrubs,  flowers,  birds,  rocks  and 
minerals,  etc. 

2.  T  Wharf:  Study  of  a  Great  Industry. 
Fishing;   boats,  method  of  handling  the  fish,  kinds  of 

fish,  markets. 


x  FIELD  LESSONS 

(A  study  of  the  leather,  cotton  or  woollen  industry  may 
be  substituted.) 

3.  National  Dock,  East  Boston. 

South    American    ship    unloading.      Commerce    with 

Argentine,    fatteftstf    gavAfi  < 
(Or  trip  to  B.  &  A.  Docks,  East  Boston,  to  study  trade 

with  South  America.) 

4.  Cambridge:  Geological   Museum   at  Harvard. 
Study  of  Davis  Models,  showing  type  forms  of  land 

areas. 
Examine  Curtis's  Model  of  Metropolitan  Boston. 
Agassiz  Museum:  Animals  of  the  different  continents. 

5.  Historical  Trip:    Beacon  Hill  and  Vicinity. 
State  House  and   Grounds;    Louisburg  Square;    Com- 
mon; Public  Gardens. 

(See  Historical  outline,  School  Doc,  No.  14, 1909,  p.  60.) 

FIELD  TRIPS.     GRADE  VI. 

If  Peabody  Museum,  Cambridge. 
Indians  of  North  and  South  America. 
Types,  dress,  implements,  mode  of  life,  homes,  etc. 

2.  Atlantic  Avenue:  Long  Wharf. 

Central    American    trade;     United    Fruit    Company 

steamer. 
Study  import  trade  in  fruits;  exports. 

3.  Winthrop:  Shore  Features. 

Work  of  waves  and  tides;  resulting  shore  forms. 
Beaches;  barrier,  pocket,  re-entrant,  connecting. 
Tidal  marsh,  formation  and  history;  tidal  streams. 
Other  features  connected  with  shore  forms. 

4.  East  Boston:  European  Trade. 
Visit  Cunard  steamer  unloading. 

Study  exports  and  imports;  passenger  traffic  with  Eng- 
land. 

(Or  Hoosac  Tunnel  Docks,  Charlestown,  White  Star 
Line,  to  study  trade  with  Mediterranean  ports,  immi- 
gration.) 

5.  Historical  Trip:  Faneuil  Hall  to  Park  Street. 
■  (Trip  II,  Course  of  study  in  History,  p.  60.) 

Faneuil  Hall,  Adams  Square,  Old  State  House,  Devon- 


BOSTON  BASIN  xi 

shire  Street,   Milk   Street,  School   Street,  Tremont 
Street,  King's  Chapel  and  cemeteries. 

FIELD  TRIPS.    GRADE  VII. 

1.  Roof  of  Schoolhouse  or  Near-by  Hill. 
Practical  use  of  compass  in  determining  direction. 
Sketch  map  of  region  in  sight;   elevation  by  lines. 
Determination  of  noon  shadow  throughout  the  year. 

Systematic  observation  of  change  in  length  of  day. 
Seasons. 

2.  Charlestown:     Mystic    Wharf;     Commerce    with 
Asia. 

Visit  to  a  steamer  from  India  or  China. 
Study  of  exports  and  imports;  lists  to  be  made  by  pupils. 
Coolies  and  Mohammedans;    Chinese,   Filipinos  and 
Japanese. 

3.  West  Medford:  The  Lawrence  Woods. 

Broad   view   of   the   Boston   Basin   and   surrounding 

uplands. 
Topography   of   Boston:    Plains   of  the   Mystic   and 

Charles  rivers. 
Nature  study:  rocks,  soils,  trees,  flowers,  birds,  care  of 
park,  etc. 
4V  Historical  Trip:    North  Square  to  Site  of  Grif- 
"fin's  Wharf. 

Paul  Revere's  House;    Garden  Court-  Street,  Christ 
Church;    Hull    Street,    Copp's    Hill,    Constitution 
Wharf,  Site  of  Griflm's  Wharf. 
5.    Lexington:  About  the  Nineteenth  of  April. 
Study  of  Routes  of  Revere  and  the  British  soldiers. 
Lexington  as  a  typical  New  England  colonial  town. 

FIELD  TRIPS.    GRADE  VIII. 

1.    Charlestown  Navy  Yard. 
History  of  our  Navy. 
Development  of  the  modern  Battleship. 

"Old  Ironsides";  War  with  Tripoli;  War  of  1812. 
Type  of  wooden  "74"  Frigate. 
Wabash.     Civil  War. 

Best  type  of  the  wooden  ship  of  her  period. 


xii  FIELD  LESSONS 

New  York  (or  some  other  model  battleship). 
Development  of  the  Monitor  type. 
Cruiser,  torpedo-boat,  torpedo-boat  destroyer,  sub- 
marine, etc. 

2.  Foreign  Commerce.    Boston  as  a  Shipping  Port. 
Visit  to  the  Cunard,  White  Star,  Mystic  and  Leland 

docks,  and  other  features. 
(As  many  of  these  as  can  be  seen  in  one  lesson.) 
Study  of  exports  and  imports,  methods  of  transportation, 

docks,  and  other  features. 

3.  Massachusetts  State  House. 

Visit  the  Legislature  while  it  is  in  session. 

Meet  the  Governor  (if  it  can  be  arranged  in  advance). 

Study  the  method  of  passing  a  law. 

Inspect  different  state  departments;  study  the  workings 
of  each. 

Battle  flags,  mural  decorations,  Hooker  and  Shaw  mon- 
uments. 

4.  Historical  Trips  in  and  about  Boston. 

To  be  done  in  group  work  by  pupils.  Some  places  to  be 
visited  and  reported  on: 

1.  Old  South  Church. 

2.  Old  North  Church  and  Paul  Revere  House. 

3.  Boston    Common;     Revolutionary    landmarks 

there  and  near  by. 

4.  King's  Chapel  and  two  neighboring  burying- 

grounds. 

5.  Dorchester  Heights. 

6.  Powder-House  Park,  Somerville. 

7.  Prospect  Hill. 

8.  Medford;   Revolutionary  and  Colonial  Houses 

and  Landmarks. 

9.  Cambridge;  Revolutionary  and  Colonial  Houses 

and  Landmarks. 

5.  Commercial  Geography. 

Group  trips  to  study  commerce  with  South  America, 
the  Far  East,  etc. 

6.  Industrial  Geography. 

Class  trip  to  some  important  Boston  or  local  indus- 
try; e.  g.: 

1.  Fishing;  a  visit  to  T  Wharf. 


BOSTON  BASIN  xiii 

2.  Sugar  refining;  visit  to  refinery  in  South  Boston. 

3.  Leather    industry;     visit    to    shoe    factory    or 

leather  importing  house. 

4.  Cotton  industry;  visit  to  cotton  factory. 

5.  Lumbering;  see  wharves  and  mill  in  operation. 

6.  Book-making;    Riverside  Press,  Cambridge,  or 

similar  plant. 

7.  Gas  plant;  take  the  nearest  one. 

8.  Glass  works;    Somerville  or  some  other  glass 

factory. 

9.  Iron  foundry. 

10.  Electric  generating  plant. 
Similar  trips  may  be  substituted  for  any  of  these. 
Literary  Journeys. 

1.  Cambridge:  homes  of  Longfellow,  Lowell,  Holmes 

(site),  Higginson,  and  others. 

2.  Concord:   homes  of  Emerson,  Hawthorne,  Louisa 

Alcott,  and  othors. 

3.  Boston,. or  other  literary  centres,  treated  in  similar 

manner. 


FIELD   LESSONS 


CHAPTER  I 

The  Boston  Basin 

IN  order  to  understand  the  physical  features  of 
Boston  and  vicinity,  one  must  have  a  clear 
mental  picture  of  the  district  surrounding  Boston 
Harbor,  taken  as  a  whole.  In  order  to  get  this 
broad  but  necessary  view  it  will  be  best  to  review 
briefly  the  geological  history  of  this  section. 

Eastern  Massachusetts  was  once  covered  by 
very  lofty  mountains.  In  time  these  were  worn 
down  almost  to  sea  level,  their  few  remaining 
stumps  being  very  hard,  rocky  hills,  like  the  Blue 
Hills  of  Milton  and  the  granite  hills  of  Quincy. 
Through  this  almost  flat  country  the  rivers  wound 
sluggishly  to  the  sea,  which  was  then  further  to 
the  east  than  it  is  now.  At  that  time  the  Mystic, 
Neponset,  Saugus,  and  other  small  rivers  which 
now  empty  into  Boston  Harbor  were  branches  of 
the  Charles.  There  was  then  no  such  indentation 
as  that  we  now  know  as  the  harbor.  What  is  now 
the  ship  channel  was  the  mouth  of  the  Charles. 

Then  came  an  uplift  of  the  whole  region.  The 
rivers,  which  had  ceased  their  cutting,  were  re- 


2  FIELD  LESSONS 

vived,  and  again  began  to  wear  away  the  land, 
eroding  valleys  in  what  had  become  a  nearly  level 
plateau  that  rose  gradually  towards  the  north  and 
west. 

In  time  the  rivers,  including  the  Charles  and  its 
branches,  had  again  cut  down  to  grade;  i.  e.,  had 
worn  away  the  land  so  that  it  was  once  more  nearly 
at  sea  level,  and  had  widened  their  valleys  to  a 
great  extent  so  that  they  had  a  second  time  be- 
come fairly  old  rivers  when  the  ice  age  came. 

To  summarize :  — 

This  region  was  once  covered  with  very  lofty 
mountains,  higher  than  the  Rocky  Mountains  are 
now. 

Through  vast  periods  of  time  these  mountains 
were  worn  down  almost  to  sea  level,  so  that  the 
region  was  a  coastal  plain. 

Here  and  there  were  left  hills  of  very  hard  rocks 
(like  the  Blue  Hills),  known  as  monadnocks,  from  a 
typical  mountain  of  this  type  in  New  Hampshire. 

Then  the  land  rose  gradually,  with  a  general 
slope  from  the  northwest  towards  the  sea. 

The  rivers  again  began  to  cut  away  this  upraised 
plain,  and  in  time  had  widened  their  valleys  until 
the  region  was  one  of  many  hills  and  valleys,  an 
extensive  peneplain,  rising  from  sea  level  to  a 
height  of  two  thousand  feet  at  the  foot  of  the 
White  Mountains. 

Then  the  whole  surface  was  covered  with  a 
great  ice  sheet. 


BOSTON  BASIN  3 

Effects  of  Glaciation 

This  great  blanket  of  ice,  thick  enough  to  cover 
entirely  the  highest  hills  of  the  upland,  came  down 
from  Labrador.  As  it  advanced  it  scraped  off  the 
soil,  broke  off  the  ledges,  rounded  the  hills,  and 
deposited  great  masses  of  "drift"  (boulders, 
stones,  clay,  sand,  etc.,  mixed  together)  in  the 
hollow  places.  Much  of  the  surface  soil  was  pushed 
ahead  of  the  ice  sheet,  so  that  what  had  once  been 
a  very  fertile  region  became,  after  the  retreat  of 
the  glacier,  a  rocky  and  comparatively  barren 
region,  poorly  adapted  to  cultivation. 

The  weight  of  this  enormous  mass  of  ice  caused 
the  land  to  sink  many  feet,  so  that  when  the  glacial 
era  was  over,  what  had  been  the  old  mouth  of 
the  Charles,  with  its  adjoining  valley,  became  an 
estuary  into  which  its  former  branches  now  empty. 
This  estuary  is  Boston  Harbor.  What  had  formerly 
been  hills  and  ridges  of  the  mainland  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Charles  were  left  as  rocky  islets. 
The  Brewsters,  Slate  Island,  etc.,  are  examples. 

Where  these  ridges  and  islets  were  small  they 
served  to  check  the  advance  of  the  ice  sheet,  thus 
gathering  the  waste  of  the  land  which  was  being 
pushed  along  the  bottom  of  the  glacier.  It  is  im- 
portant to  understand  this,  for  nearly  all  the  hills 
and  islands  in  Boston,  in  the  suburbs,  and  in  the 
harbor,  were  formed  in  this  way. 

The  ice  sheet  was  moving  towards  the  southeast. 
On  any  contour  map  of  Metropolitan  Boston  it 


4  FIELD  LESSONS 

will  be  noticed  that  practically  all  the  hills  are  oval 
in  shape,  with  a  general  northwest  and  southeast 
trend.  Corey  Hill  in  Brookline,  the  hill  at  Orient 
Heights,  Winter  Hill  in  Somerville,  and  the  harbor 
islands  are  good  examples.  These  were  formed,  as 
has  already  been  said,  by  the  forward  movement 
of  the  ice  sheet  being  retarded  at  the  bottom  by 
an  elevation  of  the  old  hard,  resistant  bed-rock. 
Here  the  waste  that  had  been  scoured  from  the 
surface  of  the  land  and  was  being  pushed  seaward 
slowly  accumulated  under  the  ice  in  the  form  of 
regular  oval  hills  shaped  like  an  egg  that  has  been 
sliced  in  two  the  longest  way.  When  the  ice 
melted  it  left  these  hills,  long,  rather  narrow,  with 
sky-line  curved  as  perfectly  as  if  trimmed  by  some 
huge  knife. 

Such  hills  are  found  in  most  glaciated  areas. 
They  were  first  named  in  Ireland.  From  the 
Gaelic  word  "druim,"  the  ridge  of  a  hill,  they 
were  called  drumlins.  Webster  defines  a  drumlin 
as  "a  hill  of  compact,  unstratified,  glacial  drift  or 
till,  usually  elongate  or  oval,  with  the  larger  axis 
parallel  to  the  former  glacial  motion." 

In  no  part  of  the  world  can  drumlins  be  studied 
to  better  advantage  than  about  Boston.  It  is 
because  they  form  such  an  important  feature  in  the 
general  topography  here,  and  because  almost  every 
hill  in  what  we  shall  call  the  " Boston  Basin"  is  a 
drumlin,  that  the  formation  should  be  thoroughly 
understood,  and  the  form  itself  be  instantly  recog- 
nized on  sight. 


BOSTON  BASIN  5 

Extent  of  the  Boston  Basin 

To  best  understand  what  is  included  in  the  term 
Boston  Basin,  you  should  have  before  you  the 
general  map  of  the  Metropolitan  District  of  Boston. 
A  copy  of  this  map  may  be  procured  free  by  apply- 
ing at  the  office  of  the  Metropolitan  Park  Commis- 
sion, 14  Beacon  Street. 

Beginning  at  Swampscott  on  the  northeast, 
draw  the  rim  of  the  basin  as  follows:  through 
Lynn,  being  careful  to  keep  south  of  the  brown 
contour  lines;  across  the  Saugus  River,  through 
Maplewood,  Maiden,  Medford,  West  Medford, 
Arlington  (just  west  of  Spy  Pond),  Belmont,  Waver- 
ley,  Waltham  (south  of  Cedar  Hill),  along  the  west- 
ern bank  of  the  Charles,  south  through  Highland- 
ville,  Charles  River  Village,  Dedham  and  Oak- 
dale  ;  skirting  the  southern  bank  of  the  Neponset, 
through  Milton,  West  Quincy  and  Braintree,  and 
so  to  the  margin  of  the  map.  Then  draw  a  line 
from  Swampscott  south  to  Nantasket,  and  you 
have  marked  out  the  Basin. 

It  comprises,  as  you  see,  the  flood-plains  of  the 
Saugus,  Mystic,  Charles,  Neponset  and  Weymouth 
rivers  and  their  branches.  Nearly  all  the  people  of 
Metropolitan  Boston  live  on  the  flood-plains  of  the 
three  largest  of  these  rivers,  and  on  the  scattered 
drumlins  nearby. 

In  a  sense  the  Basin  is  entirely  "made  land." 
It  has  all  been  formed  by  one  of  three  agencies: 
1.  Soil  brought  down  by  the  rivers;   2.  Soil  de- 


6  FIELD  LESSONS 

posited  by  the  glacier  as  drumlins,  including  that 
washed  from  them  by  the  waves  and  tides;  3. 
Land  reclaimed  from  the  sea  by  man.  Cambridge 
is  a  fair  type  of  the  first,  Winthrop  of  the  second, 
and  much  of  Boston  proper  of  the  third.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  the  Boston  of  colonial  times 
consisted  only  of  the  three  drumlins,  Beacon  Hill, 
Copp's  Hill  and  Fort  Hill,  with  the  barrier  beach, 
called  "the  neck,"  along  which  Washington  Street 
runs,  and  which  connected  these  drumlins  with  the 
mainland  at  Roxbury.  This  may  be  clearly  seen 
on  any  map  of  Boston  made  before  1800. 

North,  west  and  south  of  this  line  you  have 
drawn,  and  which  we  will  call  "the  rim  of  the 
basin/'  rise  the  old,  worn-down  hills  of  the  pene- 
plain, greatly  dissected  by  numerous  streams,  and 
dotted  with  lakes  of  glacial  origin.  These  hills  rise 
gradually  toward  the  north  and  west  until  they 
are  merged  into  the  true  Appalachian  highlands. 

Our  map  now  presents  three  distinct  geographi- 
cal features :  — 

1.  The  harbor,  with  its  rock  islands,  drumlins 
and  beaches. 

2.  The  "  made  land  "  of  the  basin,  with  its  rivers, 
flood-plains,  and  drumlins. 

3.  The  upland,  or  peneplain,  with  its  valleys, 
monadnocks  and  glacial  features. 

All  these  can  be  seen  at  a  glance  if  you  will  take 
your  map  and  go  to  the  Geological  Museum  at 
Harvard.  Here,  on  the  fourth  floor,  is  the  remark- 
able plaster  model  of  the  Metropolitan  District  of 


BOSTON  BASIN  7 

Boston,  prepared  by  Mr.  G.  C.  Curtis  in  1900  for  the 
Paris  Exposition.  In  a  huge  circular  frame,  thirty 
feet  in  circumference,  is  shown  every  feature,  phy- 
sical and  political,  of  an  area  covering  over  five 
hundred  square  miles.  Everything  is  mathemati- 
cally exact,  and  some  idea  of  the  enormous  amount 
of  labor  involved  in  its  construction  may  be  gained 
from  the  following  figures,  taken  from  a  pamphlet 
issued  by  the  state  to  describe  the  model :  — 

"There  are  250  miles  of  railroad,  with  cuts,  double 
and  single  tracks,  bridges,  embankments,  carefully 
modelled  to  scale  and  graded ;  300  miles  of  stream, 
modelled  and  painted ;  and  200,000  trees,  each  sepa- 
rate, and  located  from  the  best  maps  and  original 
surveys,  the  pine  trees  being  distinguished  from  the 
deciduous  by  both  form  and  color.  There  are  26,000 
blocks,  correctly  located  according  to  the  maps,  and 
2,750  miles  of  streets,  making  a  network  over  all  the 
model ;  all  the  streets  in  Boston,  as  well  as  through- 
out the  suburbs  and  adjacent  country,  having  been 
similarly  produced.  Dwelling-houses  to  the  number 
of  157,000  are  located  and  built  up  from  the  mapped 
ground  plans. 

"  The  Blue  Hills,  with  heavily  timbered  slopes  and 
granite  cliffs  and  the  observatory  on  the  summit, 
loom  up  on  the  southwest  edge  highest  of  all.  The 
Charles  River  winds  in  and  out  across  the  model, 
and  the  population  is  seen  to  cluster  within  its  wide 
valley  in  Boston,  Cambridge,  Somerville,  Brook- 
line,  Watertown,  Newton,  Waltham,  Dedham, 
Needham,  etc.  On  the  north  the  Middlesex  Fells 
stands  upon  the  plateau,  studded  with  ponds  and 


8  FIELD  LESSONS 

reservoirs,  and  covered  with  rocks,  along  whose 
sides  is  a  good  sprinkling  of  trees.  Nahant's  beau- 
tiful rocky  shores  and  sandy  beaches  are  plainly 
shown  in  natural  colors;  even  the  low,  seaweed- 
covered  rocks  along  the  water's  edge  are  accurately 
modelled.  The  tidal  flats  have  been  located  from  the 
latest  charts  and  painted  a  half-tone  between  land 
and  sea.  Lynn  Beach,  the  Lynn  Woods  (full  of 
glens  and  ponds),  the  rocky  shore  of  Swampscott 
and  Egg  Rock,  come  in  on  the  northeast.  The  is- 
lands in  the  harbor  —  the  Brewsters,  the  barren 
Graves,  and  the  Shag  Rocks  —  stand  out  light 
against  the  deep  blue  ocean.  On  the  south  lies  Nan- 
tasket  Beach,  along  which  Atlantic  and  Point  Aller- 
ton  are  prominent  hills.  Hingham  harbor,  with  ist 
rocky  islands,  the  Weymouth  Back  River  (east)  and 
the  Weymouth  Fore  River,  west  of  which  is  Hough's 
Neck  peninsula,  with  broad  Quincy  Bay  on  its  inner 
side,  may  be  carefully  studied,  as  they  lie  near  the 
edge  of  the  model.  Egg  Rock  Light  on  the  island 
one  mile  east  of  Nahant,  Boston  Light  with  its  tall 
white  tower  or  lighthouse  on  Little  Brewster  Is- 
land, the  Narrows  or  Bug  Light  on  the  end  of  Great 
Brewster  Spit,  Deer  Island  Light  (a  red  iron  cylinder 
standing  out  of  the  water  on  the  bar  east  of  Deer 
Island)  t  Long  Island  Light  on  the  north  end  of  Long 
Island,  eighty-four  feet  above  the  sea,  two  low- 
range  lights  on  the  north  end  of  Spectacle  Island, 
showing  a  safe  channel  to  the  inside  harbor,  —  are  the 
beacons.  Buoys,  painted  correctly,  red  on  the  right, 
black  on  the  left  of  the  ship  channel  on  entering, 
and  spindles,  iron  rods  supporting  a  ball,  are  placed 
in  position,  as  are  all  other  charted  day  marks.  By 
these  a  navigator  can  readily  find  his  way." 


BOSTON  BASIN  9 

The  model  thus  shows  clearly  the  exact  extent 
and  the  principal  features  of  the  Boston  Basin. 
These  features  will  be  fully  described  in  the  suc- 
ceeding chapters. 


General  Directions  for  Field  Trips 

No  field  trip  should  be  taken  with  a  class  until 
the  teacher  has  been  over  the  ground  herself  and 
is  ready  to  point  out  to  her  pupils  just  what  she 
wishes  them  to  see.  If  the  whole  class  is  to  be  taken 
it  will  be  well  for  two  teachers  to  plan  the  trip  to- 
gether, selecting  a  day  when  one  of  them  is  free  (if 
the  school  has  manual  training  and  cooking).  In 
some  schools  the  sub-master  accompanies  the  class 
on  his  free  session. 

A  megaphone  is  a  valuable  aid  in  calling  the 
attention  of  the  class  to  objects  of  interest  and  im- 
portance. A  compass  and  a  camera  are  also  valua- 
ble aids,  the  former  being  indispensable  on  most 
trips.  A  pair  of  field  glasses  will  often  be  of 
help. 

In  a  school  having  a  well-arranged  course  of 
field  lessons  covering  the  grammar-  grades,  say 
three  or  four  trips  a  year  for  each  grade,  a  pupil 
will  have  made  fifteen  or  twenty  such  trips  during 
his  school  course,  and  will  have  a  good  general  idea 
of  the  topography,  history  and  scenic  beauties  of 
the  region. 

Few  cities  in  the  world  offer  so  many  and  so 
varied  attractions  to  the  tourist  or  pupil  as  does 


10  FIELD  LESSONS 

the  Metropolitan  District  of  Boston.  As  one  writer 
says:  "Within  a  radius  of  twelve  miles  from  the 
State  House,  easily  accessible,  are  many  of  the  most 
notable  landmarks  and  monuments  of  the  Colonial, 
Provincial  and  Revolutionary  periods,  and  a  terri- 
tory spreading  back  from  the  shores  of  Boston  Bay, 
while  thickly  settled,  yet  still  of  remarkably  diversi- 
fied landscape,  enriched  by  lofty  hills,  broad  sweeps 
of  valleys,  masses  of  woodland,  picturesque  rivers, 
ponds  and  brooks." 

Some  of  these  attractions  are  thus  enumerated 
by  Edwin  M.  Bacon  in  his  invaluable  "Walks  and 
Rides  about  Boston,"  a  copy  of  which  should  be 
in  the  reference  library  of  every  school :  — 

"Between  the  bounds  of  this  district  (the  Boston 
Metropolitan  District)  are  Boston  Bay  and  its 
seventy-five  islands;  stretches  of  the  finest  beaches 
on  the  coast ;  the  boundary  rock-hills  of  the  Basin  ; 
the  great  Blue  Hills  forest ;  the  Stony  Brook  woods 
in  the  midst  of  a  populous  quarter ;  the  lovely  chain 
of  public  parkways  and  parks  instituted  by  the 
City  of  Boston;  the  celebrated  Waverley  Oaks,  the 
most  ancient  group  of  oak-trees  in  New  England, 
and  Beaver  Brook,  of  which  Lowell  has  sung;  the 
rich  preserve  of  the  Middlesex  Fells ;  the  wild  Lynn 
Woods,  one  of  the  largest  public  domains  belonging 
to  any  city  in  the  United  States;  the  basins  of  the 
Charles,  Mystic,  and  Neponset  rivers,  and  other 
localities  famous  beyond  the  limits  of  Boston.  Of 
this  territory  nearly  nine  thousand  acres  are  now 
reserved  by  law  and  maintained  for  free  public  use 
and  enjoyment.", 


BOSTON  BASIN  11 

If  the  main  benefit  to  be  derived  from  a  college 
course  is  the  knowledge  of  where  to  get  information 
and  how  to  use  it,  then  one  of  the  aims  of  an  ele- 
mentary school  course  might  well  be  to  teach  our 
pupils  how  to  get  acquainted  with  the  riches  of  their 
own  city,  to  know  its  history  and  its  topography, 
and  how  to  take  advantage  of  the  splendid  trans- 
portation facilities  for  reaching  the  choicest  places. 
It  is  a  fact  that  thousands  of  our  pupils  grow  to 
manhood  and  old  age  knowing  nothing  of  the  other 
parts  of  the  city  except  the  one  in  which  their  lot 
has  been  cast.  But  if  given  a  course  of  well-planned 
field  lessons  under  the  skilful  direction  of  a  good 
teacher,  their  whole  after  life  will  be  the  richer. 

The  following  outline  of  field  lessons  is  the  result 
of  several  years  of  study  and  experiment  in  one  of 
the  schools  of  the  city.  It  is  given  as  suggestive 
rather  than  final ;  it  will  not  fit  the  needs  of  every 
school;  in  many  cases  local  trips,  within  walking 
distance  of  the  schoolhouse,  may  well  be  substituted 
for  some  of  those  given.  If  it  serves  as  a  working 
basis  for  those  ambitious  and  progressive  teachers 
who  realize  the  value  of  this  line  of  teaching  (the 
number  is  growing  every  year),  and  who  are  will- 
ing to  do  the  extra  amount  of  work  required,  the 
purpose  of  the  writer  will  have  been  accomplished. 

In  addition  to  the  field  lessons  an  outline  of 
Lantern  Lessons,  based  on  the  new  course  of  study 
for  Boston,  is  appended.  This  also  is  tentative 
and  suggestive.  To  carry  on  the  lessons  success- 
fully does  not  require  a  very  large  number  of  slides. 


12  FIELD  LESSONS 

The  same  slide,  if  selected  carefully,  will  serve  for 
use  in  many  lessons :  —  for  instance,  a  slide  showing 
a  group  of  Kaffirs  outside  their  huts  may  be  used 
in  Grade  IV  to  illustrate  Homes;  in  Grade  III, 
People,  type  forms  of  the  brown  race ;  in  Grade  III, 
Vegetation  dependent  on  climate.  In  the  fifth 
grade  it  may  be  used  to  show  Land  Features.  In 
Grade  VI  it  may  be  used  to  compare  the  life  forms 
or  climate  or  products  of  Southern  Africa  with 
those  of  Europe  and  Asia.  In  Grade  VII  it  belongs 
in  the  proper  understanding  of  life  and  conditions 
of  Africa.  In  the  eighth  grade  it  may  be  profitably 
used  several  times  in  illustrating  great  production 
regions,  methods  of  transportation,  vegetable 
fibres  and  the  trade  in  them,  forest  products, 
commerce  with  Africa,  and  so  on. 

In  the  two  upper  grades,  especially,  any  teacher 
may,  at  a  trifling  cost,  add  largely  to  the  school 
stock  of  slides  by  making  plain  or  colored  slides 
illustrating  productive  areas,  maps  of  different 
regions,  diagrams  showing  the  growth  of  different 
industries,  comparative  wealth  of  different  nations, 
and  a  hundred  other  interesting  and  helpful  subjects 
by  the  following  method :  — 

Secure  cheap  dry  plates  of  any  size  and  cut  them 
down  to  lantern-slide  size  (3^x4  in.).  Exposed 
plates,  if  they  have  not  been  developed,  are  as 
good  as  new  ones,  and  may  often  be  secured  free 
from  your  photographer.  Put  them  in  a  strong 
solution  of  hyposulphite  of  soda  (seven  cents  a 
pound)  for  twenty  minutes,  and  then  wash  under 


BOSTON  BASIN  13 

running  water  for  twenty  minutes.  Dry  them  in  a 
room  free  from  dust,  and  you  have  a  clear,  trans- 
parent surface  on  which  to  trace  any  map  or  dia- 
gram, and  one  upon  which  you  can  lay  a  trans- 
parent water-color  perfectly.  The  writer  has  found 
the  "  Peerless  Japanese  Transparent  Water-Colors/ ' 
sold  at  the  department  stores,  to  be  the  most  satis- 
factory. A  single  book  is  sufficient  to  color  hun- 
dreds of  slides,  and  the  colors  are  soft  and  beauti- 
ful on  the  screen. 

When  the  map  or  diagram  is  finished  and  dry, 
cut  out  a  mat,  cover  with  a  thin  cover-glass,  and 
bind  with  strong,  thin  binding-paper.  The  whole 
material  will  cost  but  a  few  cents,  and  you  will, 
after  a  little  practice,  be  able  to  make  slides  of 
which  an  expert  need  not  be  ashamed. 


T 


CHAPTER  II 
GRADE  IV.    LESSON  1 

Roof  of  Schoolhouse 

HE  four  following  Roof  Lessons  for  the  Fourth 
Grade  were  worked  out  and  successfully  given 
for  several  years  by  Miss  Eliza  Graham  of  the  Mar- 
tin Training  School  when  she  was  teaching  at  the 
Paul  Jones  School  in  East  Boston.  The  four  lessons 
were  considered  invaluable  in  the  correct  teaching 
of  the  elementary  forms  of  land  and  water.  The 
time  given  for  each  lesson  was  forty-five  minutes. 
A  group  of  fifteen  pupils  was  taken  to  the  roof,  the 
rest  of  the  class  being  employed  on  assigned  work 
at  their  desks  until  it  came  their  turn  to  go  up 
stairs.  Each  group  was  given  twelve  minutes,  the 
remaining  nine  minutes  being  used  in  changing 
groups. 

Roof  Lesson  No.  i 

The  teacher  gathers  the  pupils  about  her,  facing 
the  particular  point  she  wishes  them  to  observe, 
and  proceeds  to  draw  from  them  by  means  of  ap- 
propriate questions  the  facts  that  they  already 


BOSTON  BASIN  15 

know  concerning  the  objects  in  view.  The  lesson 
from  the  roof  of  the  Paul  Jones  schoolhouse,  where 
both  land  and  water  forms  are  in  plain  sight,  would 
be  carried  on  somewhat  as  follows :  — 

Q.  What  do  you  see? 

Arts.   Houses,  trees,  churches,  boats,  steamers, 
birds,  etc. 

Q.  The  houses,  churches,  people,  etc.,  are  on 
what? 
Arts.  They  are  on  the  land. 
Q.  Can  you  see  any  more  land? 
Can  you  see  where  the  land  ends? 
Have  you  ever  been  on  any  other  land? 
Of  what  is  the  land  a  part? 
Ans.  A  part  of  the  earth. 
Q.  On  what  part  of  the  earth  do  we  live? 
Ans.   On  the  surface. 
Q.  We  travel  how  upon  the  land? 
Ans.  We  walk,  or  go  in  steam  cars,  electric  cars, 
automobiles,  etc. 
Q.  Where  are  the  boats  and  steamers? 

Where  are  they  in  reference  to  the  water? 
Where  are  the  birds?   Where  in  reference  to 
the  air? 

Ans.  The  boats  are  in  the  water,  but  on  its  sur- 
face; while  the  birds  are  up  in  the  air. 
Summary  of  Lesson  I :  — 
We  have  seen  a  part  of  the  earth's  surface. 
The  surface  of  the  earth  consists  of  land  and 
water. 


16  FIELD  LESSONS 

There  is  much  more  of  both  than  can  be  seen 
from  any  one  point. 
The  earth  is  surrounded  by  air. 
Air  in  motion  is  called  wind. 


Classroom  Review  of  Lesson 

Review  thoroughly  the  first  lesson,  and  allow 
pupils  to  relate  more  of  their  experiences  than  was 
possible  in  the  limited  time  given  to  the  roof 
lesson.  Discuss  with  them  their  observations  of 
the  sun's  movements. 


Roof  Lesson  No.  2 

This  is  conducted  in  the  same  manner  as  the  first 
lesson. 

Land  forms,  external,  such  as:  — 

Islands,  continents,  peninsulas,  capes  and  isth- 
muses, etc. 

Following  this  would  be  several  recitations  in 
the  room  on  important  islands  and  other  type 
forms  that  have  been  taught;  in  other  words,  as 
soon  as  the  child  is  acquainted  with  the  type,  his 
interest  is  aroused  and  his  knowledge  increases 
rapidly. 

The  islands  usually  studied  are  Greenland,  Ice- 
land, Great  Britain,  the  Japanese  Islands,  and 
the  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 


BOSTON  BASIN  17 

Facts  studied :  — 
Child  life,  very  thoroughly. 
Customs  and  occupations. 
Vegetation,  animals,  etc. 

Roof  Lesson  No.  3 

Internal  land  forms:    Plains,  hills,  valleys,  etc. 

This  is  followed  by  several  lessons  in  the  room 
upon  prairies,  deserts,  mountains  and  other  inter- 
nal land  forms.  Pictures  are  used  very  freely,  and 
the  experiences  of  those  pupils  who  have  seen 
such  forms  are  drawn  upon  for  the  benefit  of  the 
rest  of  the  class. 

Roof  Lesson  No.  4 

External  and  internal  water  forms. 

External  forms:  Ocean,  bay,  gulf,  sea. 

Internal  forms:  River,  pond,  lake,  stream, 
spring. 

This  is  followed  by  lessons  in  the  classroom  until 
the  type-forms  are  thoroughly  familiar  to  the 
pupils,  and  they  have  been  led  to  understand  the 
forms  they  have  never  seen  from  the  types  they 
have  actually  seen;  to  pass  from  the  known  to  the 
unknown. 


18  FIELD  LESSONS 

GRADE   IV.     LESSON  2 
Waverley:  Beaver  Brook  Reservation 

(Reached  by  cars  from  Park  Street  Subway  station  or 
transfer  from  Harvard  Square.    25  minutes.    5-cent  fare.) 

This  field  trip  is  excellent  for  the  study  of  ele- 
mentary land  and  water  forms,  especially  of  ponds, 
brooks  and  brook  basins. 

We  leave  the  car  at  Waverley  village  and  walk 
along  Lexington  Street,  past  the  McLean  Asylum 
grounds,  until  we  come  to  North  Street.  We 
turn  up  Mill  Street  on  the  right  and  follow 
this  until  we  reach  the  upper  pond,  thus  ena- 
bling the  class  to  trace  the  course  of  the  stream 
downward. 

The  two  ponds,  resting  in  their  glacial  hollows, 
are  about  the  same  size,  roughly  pear-shaped  with 
the  stems  pointing  northeast  and  northwest,  re- 
spectively. We  call  the  attention  of  our  pupils  to 
the  character  of  the  banks,  the  surrounding  trees 
(having  them  name  as  many  as  they  can),  and  to 
the  drainage.  Then  we  follow  the  course  down  to 
the  bridge  that  spans  the  outlet  of  the  lower  pond 
and  study  the  waterfall  there,  noting  how  the  brook 
has  worn  away  the  rocks  and  widened  its  little 
valley.  Before  we  leave  the  pond  the  pupils 
will  enjoy  seeing  the  ducks  and  geese,  but  care 
must  be  taken  that  they  do  not  lose  sight  of 
the  more  important  things  in  viewing  the  less 
important. 


BOSTON  BASIN  19 

When  the  stream  was  much  larger  than  it  is  now 
(before  the  forests  had  been  cut  away)  this  spot  was 
for  many  generations  occupied  by  a  mill  of  one  kind 
or  another.  The  first  one  was  built  as  long  ago  as 
1662,  and  was  used  for  fulling  cloth.  At  the  time 
when  Lowell  wrote  his  poem  "  Beaver  Brook  "  (1848) 
a  grist-mill  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  cascade :  — 

"Beneath  a  bony  buttonwood 
The  mill's  red  door  lets  forth  the  din; 
The  whitened  miller,  dust-imbued, 
Flits  past  the  square  of  dark  within." 

At  the  foot  of  the  fall  we  note  the  old  wall,  a  part 
of  the  foundation  of  the  last  mill  that  stood  here 
as  late  as  1875. 

Now  we  plunge  down  into  the  cool,  moist  bottom- 
lands, noting  the  character  of  the  vegetation,  — 
ferns,  mosses,  flowering  plants  and  shrubs  of  many 
kinds.  We  study  the  bed  of  the  brook,  seeing  how 
it  divides  and  re-unites,  noting  how  it  has  widened 
its  small  valley  as  much  as  the  surrounding  hills  will 
permit,  and  how  in  flood  time  it  has  transported  the 
larger  stones  down  stream.  We  follow  its  course 
until  it  is  crossed  by  the  bridge  over  Trapelo  Road, 
and  we  are  on  the  edge  of  the  level  flood-plain 
and  among  the  famous  Waverley  Oaks. 

The  plain  is  some  seventy-five  feet  lower  than 
the  ponds,  and  the  work  that  Beaver  Brook  has 
done  in  cutting  down  its  channel  and  widening  its 
valley  should  be  emphasized.  The  level  floor  of 
this  little  plain  should  be  distinctly  recognized, 


20  FIELD  LESSONS 

and  the  pupils  asked  to  draw  a  sketch  of  the  course 
of  the  stream  from  pond  to  end  of  flood-plain.  The 
older  pupils  may  be  shown  the  fine  terraces  made 
by  the  stream  in  past  ages. 

Some  of  the  old  English  pasture-shrubs  may 
here  be  studied  if  you  care  to  take  the  time,  — 
hawthorn,  buckthorn,  privet  and  barberry. 

Aside  from  the  brook,  the  venerable  oaks  are 
the  principal  objects  of  interest  in  the  Reservation. 
We  see  them  all  about  us,  the  largest  standing  on 
the  glacial  kame  overlooking  the  brook.  Various 
authorities  have  estimated  their  age  at  from  four 
hundred  to  one  thousand  years.  They  are  undoubt- 
edly the  oldest  oaks  on  the  continent ;  and  it  gives 
our  pupils  a  vivid  glimpse  into  the  past  to  stand 
beneath  the  shade  of  one  of  these  hoary  relics  of  a 
former  day  and  to  realize  that  long  before  Colum- 
bus set  out  on  his  westward  voyage  they  were 
standing  here ;  that "  Leif  Ericson  may  have  hunted 
the  deer  and  bear  among  them,  and  Gudrid,  the 
wife  of  Thorfinn  Karlsefni,  may  have  rested  under 
these  same  branches." 

There  are  twenty-six  of  these  old  oaks,  the  largest 
measuring  eighty  feet  in  height  and  over  eighteen 
feet  in  circumference  at  the  height  of  one's  head. 
They  are  carefully  cared  for  by  the  Metropolitan 
Park  Commission.  One  of  the  trees,  which  was 
blown  down  some  years  ago,  showed  an  age  of 
over  eight  hundred  years. 

A  copy  of  the  topographical  map  of  the  Reserva- 
tion may  be  secured  from  the  Commission  (14 


BOSTON  BASIN  21 

Beacon  Street),  and  a  sketch  put  on  the  board 
before  starting  on  the  trip. 

Main  points  to  be  noted:  ponds  and  their  for- 
mation, waterfall,  narrow  valley  and  work  of  run- 
ning water,  terraces,  broad  flood-plain,  oaks,  and 
glacial  eskers. 

GRADE  IV.    LESSON   3 
The  State  House  Dome 

The  dome  of  the  State  House  commands  an  ex- 
tensive view  of  Boston  and  its  surroundings. 
Admission  is  always  free  from  9  a.  m.  to  4  p.  m. 
Take  the  elevator  (east  side  of  the  building)  to  the 
fifth  floor;  pass  along  the  corridor  to  the  south 
end,  and  the  door  to  the  dome  will  be  found  open. 
The  climb  up  the  one  hundred  and  fifteen  steps  is 
a  long  but  easy  one,  and  perfectly  safe,  as  the 
stairs  are  guarded  by  heavy  wire  netting  all  the 
way  to  the  top. 

The  four  windows  face  essentially  the  four  car- 
dinal points  of  the  compass.  Boston  lies  spread 
out  before  us  like  a  map.  If  we  begin  at  the  north 
window  we  see  in  the  distance  the  level  sky-line  of 
the  upland  in  Maiden,  Medford  and  Arlington; 
to  the  northeast,  east  and  southeast,  the  sea 
bounds  the  horizon,  with  Revere  and  Winthrop,  the 
harbor  islands  and  the  end  of  the  Nantasket  pen- 
insula. On  the  south  rise  the  Blue  Hills,  with 
the  observatory  on  Great  Blue  easily  discernible  on 
a  clear  day.    Thence,  with  scarcely  a  break,  the 


22  FIELD  LESSONS 

hills  sweep  around  to  the  west  and  north  until  they 
join  those  first  mentioned. 

To  the  west  the  basin  of  the  Charles,  with  its 
bridges  and  broad  esplanade,  forms  a  beautiful 
picture,  with  Beacon  Street  running  parallel  to 
the  river.  From  no  other  spot  in  the  city  can  such 
a  view  of  the  recent  improvements  along  the 
Charles  be  obtained.  The  Craigie  Dam  and  drive- 
way, with  its  recreation  grounds  and  lock,  are  in 
plain  view.  The  whole  city  lies  beneath  us,  and 
after  seeing  it  from  this  point  the  children  will  re- 
turn to  their  study  of  Boston  with  a  zeal  that  will 
well  repay  the  teacher  for  taking  them  on  this 
field  trip. 

It  will  be  well  for  the  teacher  to  make  the  trip  in 
advance  some  Saturday  morning  (the  State  House 
closes  at  noon  on  that  day)  and  decide  on  just 
what  features  should  be  emphasized.  Then,  when 
the  class  has  first  reached  the  top  of  the  dome, 
teach  the  lesson  before  they  have  become  tired 
studying  the  many  things  to  be  seen.  It  will 
be  well  to  limit  the  number  of  pupils  to  twenty 
or  less,  as  the  space  at  the  windows  is  rather 
small. 

Little  more  than  what  has  been  outlined  above 
should  be  attempted  with  fourth-grade  pupils  for 
this  field  lesson.  Children  are  easily  tired  and  the 
State  House  is  to  be  studied  exhaustively  in  one  of 
the  eighth-grade  trips.  A  glance  at  the  historical 
paintings  and  the  battle-flags  may  perhaps  be 
taken  on  the  way  out;   but  the  most  successful 


BOSTON  BASIN  23 

teachers  are  those  who  attempt  to  show  only  a  few 
things,  and  those  thoroughly,  in  a  single  lesson. 


GRADE  IV.    LESSON  4 
Peabody  Museum,  Cambridge 

(Reached  from  Park  Street  Subway  station  or  Hanover 
Street,  via  Harvard  Square,  or  via  Beacon  Street,  Somerville; 
stop  at  Museum  Street  on  latter  route.) 

Nowhere  else  in  the  world  is  to  be  found  so  com- 
plete and  interesting  a  collection  showing  the  life 
and  customs  of  the  Eskimos  and  American  Indians 
as  at  this  museum.  Every  teacher  who  teaches 
American  history  dealing  with  the  Indians  or  the 
French  and  Indian  wars  should  visit  the  museum 
and  if  possible  take  at  least  a  division  of  her  class 
to  see  the  collection. 

Many  teachers  make  a  serious  mistake  in  attempt- 
ing to  show  their  pupils  too  much  on  a  single 
trip.  Far  better  is  it  to  have  a  definite  impres- 
sion of  a  few  things  than  a  hazy  idea  of  many.  If 
we  older  people  can  retain  but  few  vivid  impres- 
sions on  any  one  excursion,  it  should  be  a  warning 
to  us  not  to  expect  young  children  to  remember 
more  than  we  can  ourselves.  Therefore  on  this 
trip  it  will  be  well  if  we  do  not  try  to  see  more  than 
what  is  contained  in  a  single  room,  or  in  two  at 
most.  We  may  tell  the  pupils  that  there  are  just 
as  interesting  exhibits  in  the  other  rooms  in  the 
building,  and  encourage  them  to  come  and  see  the 


24  FIELD  LESSONS 

rest  with  their  parents  or  some  older  companion 
(children  unaccompanied  by  an  adult  are  not  ad- 
mitted). A  desire  to  see  the  other  things  will  be 
one  of  the  best  results  of  the  trip. 

Before  starting,  every  child  should  be  furnished 
with  a  pencil  and  a  tablet  having  a  stiff  back,  as 
sketches  and  notes  should  be  made  on  the  spot.  A 
good  plan  will  be  to  arrange  the  members  of  the 
class  in  groups  of  four  or  five,  each  in  charge  of  one 
of  the  more  responsible  pupils,  and  have  the 
groups  assigned  to  different  cases  with  instructions 
to  copy  the  description  and  make  notes  and 
sketches  (drawings)  of  the  most  important  models, 
which  are  here  marked  with  a  star  (*). 

Second  Floor,  Room  24.  —  *A  model  of  the  houses 
of  the  Haida  Indians  (Queen  Charlotte  Islands, 
south  of  Alaska)  faces  you  as  you  enter  the  door. 
Tall,  painted  totem  poles  stand  before  the  houses, 
and  on  the  beach  in  front  are  boats,  frames  for 
drying  meat,  canoes  and  kyaks,  models  of  men  and 
women  at  work,  and  other  interesting  features 
connected  with  the  life  of  the  Indians.  Note  the 
descriptions  given  on  the  card. 

To  the  right  of  this  model  is  a  life-size  figure  of  a 
^Northwest  coast  Indian  chief  in  full  costume. 
The  inner  garment  is  of  dressed  deerskin  orna- 
mented with  totem  figures.  The  blanket  he  wears 
was  woven  of  the  wool  of  the  mountain  goat.  In 
his  hand  he  holds  a  figure  representing  a  mythical 
monster.  The  front  of  his  head-dress  shows  an 
*  Of  special  interest. 


BOSTON  BASIN  25 

eagle  bearing  in  its  claws  a  killer- whale.  Down 
his  back  hangs  a  splendid  ornament  of  ermine  skins. 
The  space  inclosed  by  the  fringe  of  seal  whiskers 
on  his  head  was  filled  with  bird  down  which  fell 
like  snow  in  the  motions  of  the  dance.  The  com- 
panion piece  to  the  left  is  that  of  a  *Nookta  woman 
in  full  costume. 

Suspended  from  the  ceiling  are  several  *kyaks 
made  of  sealskins,  some  fully  twenty  feet  in  length. 
These  are  from  the  Eskimos  of  Labrador.  Over 
the  case  to  the  right  of  the  door  as  you  enter  is  an 
^Eskimo  dog  sled  brought  from  North  Greenland 
by  Commander  Peary;  and  in  the  case  beneath 
this  are  some  tiny  models  in  bone  and  ivory  of 
Eskimos,  dogs,  sledges,  seals,  etc.  Here  also  may 
be  seen  many  articles  of  clothing,  harpoons,  bows 
and  arrows,  snowshoes  of  various  shapes,  models 
of  sail-boats,  and  a  great  variety  of  similar  objects. 

This  room  is  so  full  of  interesting  things  that  it 
is  hard  to  select  the  ones  for  special  mention.  A 
*fire-making  set  of  four  pieces  —  wooden  hearth, 
drill,  drill-thong  and  mouth-piece  —  should  not 
escape  notice.  The  beautiful  fur  costumes  from 
Baffin  Land  in  the  upright  case  (northeast  corner 
of  the  room)  should  be  studied.  They  show  both 
summer  and  winter  costumes  of  men  and  women. 
The  *baby's  fur  suit  (Cumberland  Sound)  will  de- 
light the  pupils. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  room  may  be  studied 
*models  of  the  winter  homes  of  the  central  Eskimos 
*  Of  special  interest. 


26  FIELD  LESSONS 

of  Baffin  Land,  showing  exterior  and  interior  of 
the  igloo  in  all  stages  of  construction.  A  study 
of  one  of  these  models  will  be  worth  more  than  any 
amount  of  reading.  As ,  the  pupils  stand  about 
the  case  read  aloud  to  them  the  following :  — 

"Two  types  of  winter  houses  are  built  by  these 
Eskimos,  the  durable  stone  houses  and  the  more 
common  snow  huts.  The  former  usually  consist  of 
an  excavation  in  the  earth,  the  sides  and  passage- 
ways being  walled  with  stones.  A  whale  rib  serves 
as  a  frame  for  the  window.  The  roof  frame  is  formed 
of  poles  or  whale  bones  lashed  together.  Over  this 
sealskins  are  stretched,  and  upon  these  is  a  thick 
layer  of  shrubs.  Over  all  this  the  summer  tent  of 
sealskins  is  stretched  and  held  in  place  by  stones. 
The  interior  arrangement  is  similar  to  that  of  the 
snow-house. 

"The  snow-house  is  built  singly  or  in  groups  of 
two  or  more,  having  a  common  entrance  and  separate 
ante-chambers.  Each  hut  is  occupied  by  two  families, 
each  woman  having  her  own  lamp  for  heat  and  light 
and  her  own  cooking-pot  and  drying-frame.  A  win- 
dow of  seal  intestines  admits  light.  A  piece  of  thin, 
fresh-water  ice  is  fitted  to  a  hole  in  the  wall  to  enable 
the  inmates  to  see  out.  Meat  is  stored  in  vaults 
adjoining  the  stone  house,  or  on  high  stone  plat- 
forms out  of  reach  of  the  dogs." 

In  the  rear  of  the  room  is  the  life-size  figure  of  a 
*Helpa  woman  in  native  costume,  with  a  good  de- 
scription on  the  accompanying  card.    Nearby  is  a 
*  Of  special  interest. 


BOSTON  BASIN  27 

model  showing  the  elm-bark  lodges  of  the  Iroquois. 
The  rear  wall-case  is  filled  with  articles  collected 
among  the  Indians  of  California. 

Among  the  thousands  of  articles  shown  in  the 
other  cases  in  Room  24  are  numerous  totems,  a 
huge  feast-dish  used  by  chiefs  in  ceremonial  feasts, 
Indian  dolls,  a  great  variety  of  fishing  implements, 
*war-masks  and  helmets  of  the  Tlingits  of  Alaska, 
a  fine  ^ceremonial  mask  with  the  figure  of  a  winged 
monster  on  the  crest,  and  one  of  hammered  copper 
inlaid  with  mother-of-pearl. 

GRADE   IV.     LESSON   5 
Local  History  Trip 

This  field  lesson  should  be  within  easy  walking 
distance  of  the  schoolhouse.  In  almost  every 
school  district  in  Boston  or  suburban  cities  there 
will  be  found  an  abundance  of  historical  material, 
if  one  searches  the  local  histories.  Some  famous 
man  or  woman  of  the  early  days  may  be  made 
the  subject  of  this  lesson  if  there  are  no  monuments 
or  tablets  near  at  hand,  and  stories  read  or  told  to 
the  class  concerning  his  life  and  deeds.  The  men, 
places  or  events  commemorated  in  the  names  of 
the  surrounding  streets  may  be  the  topic.  The 
name  of  the  schoolhouse  will  offer  ample  material 
for  a  good  lesson. 

*  Of  special  interest. 


CHAPTER  III 

GRADE  V.    LESSON  1 

Arlington  Heights 

(Reached  via  Sullivan  Square  cars  through  Somerville,  or 
by  Hanover  Street,  via  Beacon  Street,  Cambridge,  or  from 
Park  Street  Subway  station  via  Harvard  Square.  Fare  on 
each  line  5  cents.  The  first  is  the  most  direct  route  and  passes 
over  Winter  Hill  in  Somerville,  one  of  the  drumlins  on  the 
floor  of  Boston  Basin.) 

BESIDES  Winter  Hill  other  drumlins  may  be 
noted  on  the  way;  Bunker  Hill,  with  its  his- 
toric monument;  the  Chelsea  and  Everett  hills 
across  the  Mystic,  just  after  leaving  Sullivan  Square, 
and  especially  College  Hill  in  Medford,  upon  which 
Tufts  College  is  located.  As  we  near  Arlington 
Centre,  Spy  Pond  should  be  pointed  out  on  the 
left,  and  the  level  character  of  the  land  noticed. 
The  edge  of  the  "Basin,"  as  we  ascend  the  hill  at 
Arlington  Centre,  is  easily  recognized.  If  time 
permits,  the  class  should  get  off  the  car  at  Pleasant 
Street,  Arlington,  walk  along  this  on  the  north 
edge  of  Spy  Pond  to  Lake  Street,  and  up  Lake 
Street,  to  the  Heights.  This  walk  is  rich  in  points 
of  interest,  both  geographical  and  historical. 

Three  points  may  well  be  emphasized  on  this 
trip:  — 


BOSTON  BASIN  29 

1.  The  Boston  Basin. 

2.  The  surrounding  upland. 

3.  Soils  and  soil-making. 

To  these  may  be  added  a  study  of  the  broader 
features  of  glacial  action  as  illustrated  in  the 
lakes,  kames,  drumlins,  etc.,  seen  along  the  way. 
With  such  splendid  type-forms  of  these  features  as 
are  to  be  seen  on  this  trip  it  is  not  well  to  devote 
the  time  exclusively  to  any  one  feature. 

Spy  Pond,  at  the  edge  of  the  basin's  rim,  and 
scarcely  ten  feet  above  sea  level,  lies  at  our  feet. 
As  we  ascend  the  escarpment  we  note  how  the 
character  of  the  soil  changes,  growing  coarser  and 
poorer  as  we  go  up .  Here  and  there  we  see  the  ledges 
of  the  underlying  bed-rock  exposed  to  view  — 
largely  of  a  very  hard  granite  —  and  a  great  deal 
of  glacial  till  and  many  boulders  scattered  over  the 
entire  surface.  This  is  seen  in  the  many  stone- wall 
fences  hereabouts,  and  in  the  foundations  of  houses, 
and  should  be  compared  with  the  bed-rock,  that 
the  pupils  may  determine  for  themselves  whether 
the  surface  boulders  were  brought  from  a  distance 
or  were  broken  from  the  original  bed-rock. 

Samples  of  soil,  —  fine  at  the  base  of  the  hill, 
coarser  midway  up,  and  coarse  rock  waste  at  the 
top,  —  should  be  collected,  preferably  by  one  or 
two  of  the  older  members  of  the  class,  for  a  per- 
manent addition  to  the  cabinet.  Specimens  of  the 
underlying  ledges  and  of  the  different  glacial  rocks 
should  also  be  taken  back  to  school  for  further  study 
and  comparison.    If  the  trip  is  made  in  spring  or 


30  FIELD  LESSONS 

fall,  many  specimens  of  leaves,  flowers,  etc.,  may 
be  secured  for  work  in  Nature  study.  The  trees 
should  be  identified  along  the  way,  and  the  more 
important  of  the  shrubs  and  bushes  noted. 

When  we  have  arrived  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  we 
have,  spread  out  at  our  feet,  a  broad  panorama. 
Stretching  southeasterly  towards  the  sea  is  the 
level  flood-plain  formed  by  the  Charles  and  Mystic 
rivers,  dotted  here  and  there  with  drumlins,  and 
covered  with  the  buildings  of  Cambridge  and  Som- 
erville.  Beyond  are  the  thickly-settled  peninsulas 
of  Boston,  Charlestown,  and  Chelsea,  with  the 
islands  on  which  are  East  Boston  and  Orient 
Heights,  and  in  the  far  distance  the  lesser  islets  of 
Boston  Harbor. 

Directly  to  the  east  of  us,  and  extending  to  Sau- 
gus,  are  the  old  hills  forming  the  northern  border  of 
the  basin.  Nestled  at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  or 
climbing  their  sides  and  extending  up  the  side 
valleys,  are  the  cities  of  Medford  and  Maiden.  To 
the  south  is  Belmont;  southwest,  Waltham  and 
the  other  cities  bordering  the  Charles ;  and  to  the 
south,  fifteen  miles  away,  the  Blue  Hills  mark  the 
opposite  border  of  the  basin. 

Looking  to  the  north  and  west,  we  see  the  hills 
of  the  worn-down  upland  stretching  away,  the  re- 
markably even  skyline  broken  in  the  distance  by 
the  loftier  peaks  of  Wachusett  and  Monadnock. 
The  latter,  nearly  seventy  miles  distant,  may 
readily  be  distinguished  from  the  highest  hill  on  a 
clear  day.    The  reason  for  the  evenness  of  the  sky- 


BOSTON  BASIN  31 

line  should  be  made  clear,  and  the  meaning  of  the 
term  "peneplain"  taught. 

If  these  points  are  clearly  taught  in  advance, 
the  class  instructed  as  to  just  what  it  is  expected 
to  see,  the  objects  clearly  pointed  out  in  the  field 
trip  and  again  talked  over  and  explained  in  the 
classroom  after  the  trip,  and  the  teaching  crystal- 
lized in  a  written  report  from  every  member  of  the 
class,  you  will  find  that  it  has  been  an  exceed- 
ingly profitable  lesson.  If  you  can  take  a  camera 
along  and  make  a  few  lantern-slides  of  the  type- 
forms  seen,  —  and  incidentally  of  the  class  while 
at  Arlington  Heights,  —  it  will  add  greatly  to  the 
interest  of  the  trip,  and  be  of  help  in  taking  future 
classes  to  this  place. 

Arlington  Heights  —  Historical  Notes 

On  the  ride  from  Boston  to  Arlington  we  pass 
many  interesting  historical  places.  Just  above 
the  Baptist  church,  opposite  Kidder  Street,  is  a 
tablet  telling  how  four  citizens  were  killed  by 
British  soldiers  retreating  from  Lexington.  Fur- 
ther on  is  a  tablet  marking  the  site  of  the  White 
Horse  Tavern,  "Where  met  the  Committee  of 
Safety  in  1775."  Pupils  will  be  interested  to  know 
that  in  this  tavern,  on  the  day  before  the  battle  of 
Lexington,  the  Committee  of  Safety  met.  Two  of 
the  members  were  Elbridge  Gerry  (afterward  Vice- 
president)  and  Colonel  Lee,  who  spent  the  night 
at  the  tavern.  They  were  surprised  at  early  dawn 
by  the  British  soldiers,  and  barely  escaped  capture. 


32  FIELD  LESSONS 

If  we  get  off  the  car  at  Pleasant  Street  we  find  a 
stone  tablet  bearing  this  interesting  inscription: 
"At  this  spot  on  April  18,  1775,  the  old  men  of 
Menotomy  captured  a  convoy  of  eighteen  soldiers 
with  supplies  on  the  way  to  join  the  British  at 
Lexington."  These  "old  men,"  left  behind  by  the 
minute-men  who  marched  to  Concord,  had  the 
unique  distinction  of  making  the  first  capture  in 
the  Revolutionary  War.  Not  far  away  six  of  Lord 
Percy's  soldiers  were  captured  by  an  old  woman 
who  was  digging  dandelion  greens,  if  we  can  believe 
local  tradition. 

Twenty-two  men  were  slain  by  the  British  in 
Arlington  on  that  day,  and  twelve  of  them  were 
buried  in  the  old  graveyard  near  where  we  stand. 
They  were  interred  without  coffins,  in  the  clothes 
they  had  worn  when  they  fell.  The  grave  is  marked 
by  a  granite  monument.  Not  far  away  were  buried 
several  of  the  forty  British  soldiers  killed  in  the 
retreat  from  Concord.  The  hardihood  of  some  of 
our  early  ancestors  is  well  illustrated  by  the  case 
of  old  Samuel  Whittemore,  in  whose  memory  a 
tablet  is  found  on  Mystic  Street.  The  record  of 
this  tough  old  patriot  reads  as  follows:  — 

"Near  this  spot  Samuel  Whittemore 

Then  80  years  old 

Killed  three  British  soldiers  April  19,  1775.     He  was  shot, 

bayonetted 

Beaten  and  left  for  dead, 

But  recovered  and  lived 

To  be  98  years  old." 


BOSTON  BASIN  33 

Pupils  who  have  read  John  T.  Trowbridge's 
charming  stories  will  be  interested  to  have  his 
home  pointed  out.  It  is  on  Pleasant  Street,  near 
Spy  Pond.  Five  minutes'  walk  beyond  the  church 
green  is  the  Jason  Russell  house,  in  which  a  dozen 
Americans  were  slain  by  the  retreating  English 
soldiery  on  April  19. 

GRADE   V.     LESSON  2 

Visit  to  T  Wharf  —  Fishing  Industry 

Boston  ranks  second  in  the  fish  industry  of  the 
world,  being  surpassed  only  by  London.  The 
centre  of  this  large  trade  is  found  at  T  Wharf, 
where  the  fares  are  brought  by  the  schooners  and 
trawlers  for  distribution  to  the  different  parts  of 
the  country.  A  visit  to  this  wharf  is  one  of  the 
most  interesting  in  the  whole  course.  A  careful 
perusal  of  the  daily  papers,  especially  the  Post's 
column,  " Along  the  Water  Front,"  will  tell  you 
when  the  boats  are  in  and  business  is  at  its  best. 

A  typical  day's  receipts  during  the  summer,  as 
reported  by  the  Post  for  July  14,  1910,  is  shown 
below :  — 

"  The  arrival  at  T  Wharf  yesterday  of  the  seining 
schooner  Oriole  with  a  catch  of  2800  fresh  mackerel 
was  most  timely,  as  the  local  supply  was  about  de- 
pleted. Captain  Charles  Maguire  received  thirty- 
two  cents  each  for  his  fish.  This  is  the  second  trip 
of  the  Oriole  here  inside  of  a  week.    Since  starting 


34 


FIELD  LESSONS 


his  season,  four  months  ago,  Captain  Maguire  has 
stocked  $9000,  which  places  him  in  a  top-notch  place. 
Seiners  Shenandoah,  Captain  James  Gannon,  and 
Victor,  Captain  John  McFarland,  each  with  2000 
fresh  mackerel,  were  in  at  Provincetown  yesterday. 
Their  fares  were  sent  here  by  rail. 

"Two  trips  of  swordfish  were  at  the  pier  yester- 
day, the  Hockmomock,  with  twenty-two  fish,  and  the 
small  Georgiana  with  four.  The  fish  brought  nine- 
teen cents  a  pound. 

"A  fleet  of  twenty-three  trawlers  arrived  at  T 
Wharf  during  the  day,  bringing  in  a  total  of  717,900 
pounds  of  mixed  fresh  fish,  including  181,500  pounds 
of  haddock,  347,700  pounds  of  cod,  61,300  pounds 
of  hake  and  127,400  pounds  of  pollock. 

"Haddock  sold  yesterday  at  3^  cents,  large  steak 
cocl  3  cents,  markets  2J  cents,  hake  at  2\  cents,  steak 
pollock  2  cents  a  pound. 

"The  vessels  and  their  fares: 


Seaconnet    .... 

Genesta 

Fannie  B.  Atwood 
Helen  B.  Thomas  . 
Gladys  &  Nellie      . 
Philip  P.  Manta     . 

Regina 

Mary  C.  Santos  . 
MaryE.Silveira  . 
Nettie  Franklin  . 
Helen  B.  Thomas  . 
Hattie  F.  Knowlton 
James  &  Esther 
Ignatius  Enos  .  . 
Jessie  Costa  .  .  . 
Rose  Dorothea  .    . 


Haddock 

10,000 

15,000 

30,000 

12,000 

28,000 

7,000 

16,000 

1,000 

8,000 

2,500 

12,000 

7,500 

3,000 

500 

12,000 

3,000 


Cod 

4,800 

9,500 

13,000 

4,000 

5,500 

31,000 

5,000 

60,000 

19,000 

40,000 

4,000 

500 

16,000 

2,000 

46,000 

40,000 


Hake 

300 

8,000 

5,000 

15,000 

51,000 

15,000 
1,500 

500 


Pollock 

2,000 

500 

4,000 

4,000 

500 

20,000 

1,000 

1,500 

4,000 

300 

500 

1,500 

8,000 

7,000 


BOSTON  BASIN  35 

Haddock  Cod  Hake  Pollock 

Mattakeeset    ......      4,000  22,000  ...  15,000 

Louisa  R.  Sylva     ....      4,000  22,000  . . .  20,000 

Mary  T.  Fallon      ....      6,000  2,400  1,200  400 

Trilby 500  ...  1,200 

Marion 4,000 

Laura  Enos ...  ...  8,000 

Nettie 500  ...  4,000 

The  following  figures,  taken  from  the  report  of 
the  Boston  Fish  Bureau  (January,  1910),  give  an 
idea  of  the  amount  of  business  done  by  the  fish 
dealers  of  the  city  during  a  single  year : 

Mackerel,  fresh,  bbls 42,720 

Mackerel,  salt,  etc.,  bbls .    .  36,248 

Codfish,  salt,  etc.,  qtls 43,529 

Herring,  frozen,  bbls 18,811 

Herring,  canned  and  smoked       847,623 

Swordfish,  fresh,  no 5,114 

Smelts,  fresh,  boxes       25,993 

Shad,  fresh,  bbls 1,736 

Other  Fresh  Fish,  bbls 33,519 

Other  Fresh  Fish,  boxes 15,286 

Live  Lobsters,  pkgs 45,394 

Canned  Lobsters,  boxes 40,516 

Bloaters,  boxes 58,555 

Boneless  Fish,  boxes 47,988 

Hake,  Haddock,  Cusk,  qtl 21,000 

Other  Salt  Fish,  bbls 14,369 

Other  Salt  Fish,  boxes 37,350 

Other  Salt  Fish,  drums 51,266 

Sardines,  boxes       1,151,126 

In  visiting  T  Wharf  some  such  outline  of  facts 
to  be  obtained,  as  the  following,  may  be  given  the 
class  in  advance,  and  the  pupils  asked  to  obtain 
as  much  of  the  information  on  the  spot  as  they 
can:  — 


36  FIELD  LESSONS. 

Kinds  of  fish  seen? 

Where  were  they  caught? 

How  were  they  caught,  —  with  line,  trawl,  seine, 
spear,  harpoon? 

What  has  been  done  to  keep  them  from  spoiling? 

How  are  they  being  prepared  for  market? 

Where  are  they  to  be  sent? 

What  are  the  most  valuable  varieties,  and  why? 

What  kinds  are  classed  as  "groundfish,"  and 
what  does  that  mean? 

Kinds  of  boats  used  for  getting  the  different  fish? 

How  is  a  steam  trawler  fitted  up? 

Where  does  the  harpooner  stand  when  after 
swordfish? 

What  is  used  for  bait  for  different  kinds  of  fish  ? 

What  kinds  of  diseases  do  fishes  have? 

Are  preservatives  (chemicals)  allowed  in  pre- 
paring for  market? 

What  nationalities  do  you  find  among  the 
fishermen? 

Are  any  of  the  boats  from  another  country? 

What  wages  do  the  men  on  the  fishing-boats  get? 
Men  on  the  wharves  ? 

What  do  the  owners  of  the  boat  get  for  the  fish? 

How  does  this  compare  with  the  retail  price  you 
pay  at  home? 

Study  the  method  of  buying  on  the  wharf. 

What  is  the  object  of  the  Fish  Exchange? 

Is  there  a  "Fish  Trust,"  or  combination  of 
buyers  or  of  sellers? 

Similar  questions  will  suggest  themselves  to  you, 


BOSTON  BASIN  37 

and  the  search  for  the  information  at  first  hand  will 
add  much  to  the  interest  your  pupils  will  take 
in  the  trip. 

GRADE  V.     LESSON  3 

Trade  with  South  America 

The  Houston  Line  steamers,  plying  between 
Boston  and  Rosario  and  Buenos  Ayres,  Argentine 
Republic,  come  to  the  National  Docks,  East  Bos- 
ton. The  arrival  of  these  steamers  may  be  learned 
by  watching  the  marine  news  in  the  daily  papers, 
or  by  writing  to  the  agent  of  the  line,  A.  C.  Lom- 
bard's Sons,  156  State  Street,  Boston,  from  whom 
permission  should  be  asked  to  take  the  class  on 
board  the  ship.  The  docks  may  most  easily  be 
reached  via  the  East  Boston  Tunnel.  Take  a 
Jeffries  Point  car,  and  ask  the  conductor  to  stop 
at  the  nearest  point  to  the  National  Docks. 

Have  the  class  supplied  with  notebooks  and 
pencils  for  making  a  list  of  the  raw  products  im- 
ported and  the  manufactured  articles  sent  back. 
One  of  the  officers  is  usually  found  who  will  be  glad 
to  take  the  pupils  over  the  ship,  tell  of  the  country 
and  its  people,  show  some  of  the  South  American 
coins  and  such  curios  as  may  happen  to  be  on 
board,  and  give  facts  concerning  the  trade  with 
Argentina.  Pupils  invariably  enjoy  hearing  the 
facts  from  an  officer,  especially  if  he  wears  a  be- 
coming uniform;  and  the  problem  of  discipline  is 
solved  in  this  way. 


38  FIELD  LESSONS 

Sailing  vessels  loaded  with  South  American 
woods,  rubber,  salts,  etc.,  often  come  to  Boston, 
and  their  arrival  and  place  of  docking  may  be 
learned  from  the  daily  press.  Ask  the  pupils  to 
keep  watch  for  news  of  such  arrivals;  you  will  be 
kept  informed,  and  they  will  learn  a  great  deal 
about  commerce  outside  of  their  text-books. 


GRADE  V.    LESSON  4 

Cambridge  Geological  and  Agassiz  Museums 

Arrangements  should  be  made  in  advance  with 
Prof.  W.  M.  Davis  of  Harvard  University,  for 
bringing  pupils  to  see  the  models  and  maps.  These 
are  kept  in  the  Geological  Department,  on  Oxford 
Street. 

Curtis's  model  of  Metropolitan  Boston  is  found 
on  the  fourth  floor  of  the  Geological  Museum,  and 
may  be  seen  at  any  time  if  arrangements  have  been 
made  with  some  member  of  the  department.  A 
full  description  of  the  model  has  already  been 
given  in  Chapter  I. 

Several  interesting  models  of  land  and  water 
forms  may  be  seen  in  the  Agassiz  Museum,  notably 
one  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

In  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoology  the 
animals,  birds,  fishes  and  reptiles  are  grouped  ac- 
cording to  the  different  life  regions,  and  offer  an 
interesting  field  for  study. 


BOSTON  BASIN  39 


GRADE   V.     LESSON  5 

Beacon  Hill  and  Vicinity 

For  the  State  House  and  grounds  use  as  much 
as  seems  advisable  of  the  outline  for  Grade  VIII. 
The  Beacon  (the  tall  shaft  surmounted  by  the 
eagle),  the  Devens  and  Banks  monuments  on  the 
east,  the  Hancock  tablet  on  the  northeast  balus- 
trade; the  equestrian  statue  of  General  Hooker; 
and  the  statues  of  Horace  Mann  and  Daniel  Web- 
ster may  be  seen  in  a  few  moments. 

The  statue  of  Columbus  in  Louisburg  Square 
is  not  nearly  so  fine  as  the  one  in  the  Cathedral 
grounds  on  Washington  Street,  but  will  repay  the 
short  walk  from  the  State  House.  It  is  at  the  north 
end  of  the  Square,  next  to  Mount  Vernon  Street. 

Boston  Common  —  Historical 

Boston  Common  dates  from  1634,  when  the 
whole  peninsula  was  purchased  from  its  first  settler, 
William  Blaxston,  for  $150.  It  was  set  apart  as  a 
training-field,  and  in  1640  part  of  it  was  made  a 
public  pasture.  In  1646  the  number  of  cattle  al- 
lowed to  graze  here  was  "70  milch  kine,  and  one 
horse  for  Elder  Oliver. "  A  freeholder  might  keep 
four  sheep  instead  of  a  cow,  if  he  preferred.  A 
keeper  was  appointed,  who  received  "two  shil- 
lings and  sixpence  for  the  head  of  every  cow  that 
goes  there." 


40  FIELD  LESSONS 

Besides  being  a  pasture  it  was  used  for  various 
other  purposes.  Here  were  built  the  common 
Granary,  the  first  schoolhouse,  the  powder-house 
and  watchhouse;  later  the  almshouse,  the  work- 
house and  the  bridewell  or  jail  were  erected.  The 
old  hay-scales  were  located  at  the  southern  end 
of  the  Common,  and  a  deer-park  was  built  after  it 
had  ceased  to  be  a  public  pasture. 

Formerly  the  Common  was  somewhat  larger  than 
at  present.  The  cow-pasture  included  the  land 
now  occupied  by  the  State  House;  the  eastern 
boundary  extended  to  Mason  Street,  the  southern 
to  Carver  Street,  and  the  western  side,  where 
Charles  Street  now  runs,  was  covered  by  water  at 
high  tide. 

Besides  the  large  drumlin  still  called  Beacon 
Hill  there  were  four  smaller  elevations  (kames), 
called  Powder  House  Hill,  Ridge  Hill  and  Fox  Hill. 
The  fourth  was  so  small  that  it  was  not  designated 
by  a  special  title.  The  remnants  of  the  two  first- 
mentioned  may  still  be  traced. 

It  will  be  impossible,  in  the  short  space  at  our 
disposal,  to  more  than  touch  upon  a  few  of  the 
most  important  historical  events  connected  with 
the  Common.  Any  good  history  of  Boston,  like 
Drake's,  will  prove  a  perfect  mine  of  information 
concerning  it. 

In  accordance  with  the  stern  customs  of  the 
Puritans,  public  executions  took  place  here.  The 
first  recorded  instance  is  the  hanging  of  Mrs. 
Dorothy  Talbye,  on  December  6,  1638,  for  killing 


BOSTON  BASIN  41 

her  daughter  Difficulty.  Ten  years  later  a  woman 
was  publicly  hanged  on  Fox  Hill  as  a  witch,  and  still 
another  in  1656.  The  next  year  three  Quakers  were 
here  put  to  death.  Several  captured  pirates  expi- 
ated their  crimes  on  the  Common  before  assem- 
bled thousands:  John  Quelch  and  his  five  asso- 
ciates hi  1704,  and  Captain  William  Fly  and  his 
two  lieutenants,  Cole  and  Greenville,  in  1726. 
Fly's  body  was  hung  up  in  irons  at  Nix's  Mate  as 
a  warning  to  all  others  who  might  be  inclined  to 
piracy,  and  his  two  companions  were  buried  in  the 
shifting  sands  of  the  same  island. 

During  the  siege  of  Boston,  in  1775-1776,  the 
British  soldiers  were  encamped  here,  and  the  hills 
on  the  Common  were  strongly  fortified.  For  many 
years  the  old  windmill  (where  the  Soldiers'  Monu- 
ment now  stands)  was  a  familiar  landmark.  In 
those  days  the  "Frog  Pond"  was  merely  a  bit  of 
marsh,  flooded  in  wet  weather,  where  the  boys  went 
in  swimming  in  warm  weather  and  skating  in 
winter.  The  spirited  account  of  the  Boston  lads 
and  General  Gage  may  be  read  before  the  trip. 

Some  idea  of  the  monetary  value  of  the  Common 
may  be  gained  from  the  fact  that  the  land  upon 
which  either  Park  Street  church  or  St.  Paul's  stands 
would  bring  a  million  dollars  at  any  time.  But  as 
a  recreation-ground  this  open  space  in  the  heart 
of  the  city  is  worth  more  than  any  amount  of 
money. 

Boston  Common,  in  the  heart  of  the  "Hub,"  is  a 
park  of  forty-eight  acres,  with  the  rolling  surface 


42  FIELD  LESSONS 

characteristic  of  glacial  till.  It  consists  partly  of 
land  eroded  from  the  nearby  drumlins  and  partly 
of  tidal  flats  filled  in  by  man.  It  rises  in  elevation 
from  about  fifteen  feet  above  sea-level  on  the  west- 
ern side  to  eighty-five  feet  at  the  corner  nearest 
the  State  House.  The  rounded  hills,  the  artificial 
pond,  the  walks  running  in  every  direction  and 
shaded  by  noble  trees,  the  fountains,  monuments 
and  statues,  make  it  one  of  the  most  attractive 
parks  in  the  country. 

It  has  from  the  earliest  times  been  an  integral 
and  vital  part  of  Boston.  "  Perhaps  no  other  city 
park  in  the  world  is  more  closely  entwined  with  the 
historic  interests  and  warm  affections  of  the  sur- 
rounding population  than  this,"  as  Baedeker  says. 
The  splendid  Soldiers'  Monument,  designed  by 
Martin  Milmore  and  erected  in  1871-1877,  is  on  the 
site  of  the  famous  old  Boston  Elm  (1630).  The 
Crispus  Attucks  Monument,  commemorative  of  the 
men  who  fell  in  the  Boston  Massacre  (March,  1770), 
is  near  the  east  side  of  the  Common.  The  "Long 
Walk,"  from  Joy  Street  to  Boylston  Street,  was 
made  famous  by  our  "Autocrat  of  the  Breakfast 
Table,"  and  is  daily  traversed  by  thousands.  About 
the  Brewer  Fountain  crowds  gather  in  summer  when 
band  concerts  are  given  here.  At  times,  especially 
on  Sundays,  one  may  hear  the  doctrines  of  every 
known  religion  and  political  party  expounded  by 
speakers  on  the  Common,  and  many  such  groups 
may  be  seen  at  the  same  time.  Liberty  of  speech 
has    always    been  granted   here   from  the   times 


BOSTON  BASIN  43 

of  Phillips  and  Garrison  to  the  present  day.  The 
statue  of  Leif  Ericson  on  Commonwealth  Avenue, 
near  Massachusetts  Avenue,  is  a  splendid  piece  of 
sculpture,  and  represents  the  Norse  hero  as  he  is 
sighting  the  shores  of  Vinland  in  the  distance ;  but 
the  walk  is  too  long  for  children  of  the  fifth  grade 
who  have  already  seen  the  State  House  and 
Common. 

The  Public  Garden  is  on  land  that  has  been  re- 
claimed from  the  sea.  Not  until  1859  was  the  work 
of  making  a  public  pleasure-ground  of  the  locality 
begun.  The  twenty-four  acres  is  perhaps  as  beau- 
tiful a  garden  as  any  equal  area  in  this  hemisphere. 
The  lover  of  flowers  finds  it  a  constant  source  of 
delight ;  the  student  of  botany  can  find  here  nearly 
every  tree  and  shrub  that  will  grow  in  our  climate ; 
and  the  tired  laborer  and  the  weary  mother  find  the 
rest  and  peace  they  need  so  much. 


CHAPTER  IV 

GRADE  VI.    LESSON  1 

Peabody  Museum 

Read  carefully  the  suggestions  (Peabody  Museum,  Grade 
IV)  in  regard  to  taking  classes  to  this  museum. 

1.  A  S  we  enter  the  door,  the  room  directly  ahead 
^~V  of  us  is  the  principal  one  devoted  to  the 
North  American  Indians.  We  will  first  examine 
the  models  in  the  cases  near  the  centre  of  the  room. 
The  most  conspicuous  of  these  are  the  two  con- 
taining the  models  of  a  Dakota  Indian  in  full  war- 
dress, and  a  squaw  of  the  same  tribe  in  native 
costume.  These  should  be  carefully  studied  and 
the  description  written  by  the  pupils,  group  by 
group. 

2.  Model  showing  part  of  a  camp  of  one  of  the 
Central  Plains  tribes.  This  is  as  fascinating  as  an 
Indian  story,  and  shows,  among  other  things,  a 
portable  skin  tepee  and  its  furniture;  figures  of 
braves  and  squaws  making  blankets,  drying  pemmi- 
can,  and  doing  various  other  things ;  scaffold  buri- 
als; a  transporting  frame  used  with  a  pony  when 
the  village  moved ;  one  Indian  tattooing  another ; 
targets,  bows  and  arrows,  etc. ;  men  in  war  dress 


BOSTON  BASIN  45 

and  in  ordinary  costume;   barricades  against  ene- 
mies, etc. 

3.  Model  of  an  earth-covered  lodge  of  the  Omaha 
Indians.  An  opening  in  the  side  of  the  model  shows 
the  interior  arrangement  of  the  lodge  and  the  man- 
ner of  its  construction.  The  covering  of  turf  and 
the  opening  at  the  top  to  allow  the  smoke  to  escape 
should  be  noted,  and  the  printed  description  on  the 
card  copied. 

4.  Model  showing  dwellings  of  the  New  England 
Indians  (Algonquin  tribes).  Perhaps  this  should 
receive  the  most  careful  study  of  anything  in  the 
room.  It  shows  two  types  of  forts,  —  the  round  and 
the  square ;  and  three  types  of  houses,  —  the  round, 
the  Mandan  long  house  and  the  conical  type. 
There  are  birch-bark  boxes  and  dishes,  wooden 
bowls  and  ladles,  baskets  for  holding  corn,  pots, 
pestles  and  wooden  mortars,  soapstone  vessels, 
wolf-traps  and  fish-traps,  and  other  minor  articles 
and  utensils;  two  Indians  are  at  work  making  a 
dug-out ;  the  method  of  drying  fish  is  shown,  and 
much  valuable  information  is  given  on  the  accom- 
panying card. 

5.  Houses  of  Wichita  Indians,  Indian  Terri- 
tory. (Models.)  The  Indians  are  at  work  upon  a 
dwelling.  Tall  slender  saplings  have  been  cut  and 
stripped  of  branches  and  planted  in  the  earth 
around  a  circular  area  of  hard  ground.  The  tops 
are  made  to  meet,  and  are  fastened  together  by 
means  of  tough  fibres  of  bark.  This  framework  is 
reinforced  by  cross  twigs  and  is  then  thatched,  as 


46  FIELD  LESSONS 

the  model  shows.  Note  the  interior  of  the  dwelling 
that  is  half  completed ;  see  the  broad  seats  around 
one  half  of  the  house,  the  fireplace  in  the  centre, 
the  couches  with  coverings  of  skins,  the  table,  the 
dried  corn  and  other  food.  At  the  opposite  end 
of  the  case  is  a  completed  dwelling  with  a  small 
hole  at  the  top  for  letting  out  the  smoke,  the 
door  with  its  skin  flap  or  inner  curtain  for  keeping 
out  the  wind.  Here  are  shown  also  models  of 
frames  for  drying  buffalo  meat;  a  fireplace  with 
fire  half  burned  out;  a  thatched  shelter  or  work- 
house, open  at  the  bottom,  with  a  raised  platform 
inside;  two  scaffold  shelters,  used  for  drying  corn, 
and  other  interesting  articles.  Note  the  rude  type 
of  ladder  in  the  last-mentioned  shelter.  Have 
pupils  write  a  description  of  as  many  of  these  as 
time  will  permit,  and  draw  sketches  of  the  simpler 
forms. 

The  two  long  cases  on  the  north  side  of  the  room 
contain  a  map  showing  the  locality  from  which 
they  came  (the  Gulf  States),  and  a  splendid  collec- 
tion of  peace-pipes,  bows  and  arrows,  tobacco- 
pouches,  some  baskets,  moccasins,  a  buckskin 
coat,  a  saddle  and  bridle,  and  a  valuable  peace 
belt  of  wampum,  besides  other  things.  The  second 
case  is  especially  rich  in  beautifully  carved  pipes 
of  the  famous  red  pipestone  from  the  Lake  Supe- 
rior region  in  Minnesota.  A  third  case  on  this  side 
of  the  room  contains  a  large  assortment  of  baskets, 
some  finely  woven  blankets  and  several  cradles  for 
carrying  papooses. 


BOSTON  BASIN  47 

Among  the  articles  in  the  upright  cases  on  the 
west  wall  (Apache  Indians)  the  following  are  espe- 
cially worthy  of  notice;  rattles  belonging  to  the 
medicine  men,  a  fine  shield,  water  jars  and  gran- 
ary, moccasins,  carrying-frame  for  the  women,  slat 
cradles,  and  a  large  collection  of  woven  baskets. 
Further  along  are  fish-hooks  and  line  used  by  the 
Mohave  Indians,  different  games  for  men  and  chil- 
dren, a  woman's  bark  skirt,  amulets,  children's 
clothing,  cradles,  some  beautiful  bead  work,  toma- 
hawks and  similar  objects. 

The  south  wall  contains  specimens  collected  from 
the  Sioux  tribes,  and  include  a  great  variety  of 
tools,  war  clubs,  clothes,  head-dress,  household 
implements,  etc.  The  large  skins  against  the  wall 
with  the  picture-writing  will  escape  the  notice 
of  the  pupils  unless  their  attention  is  called  to  them, 
and  they  are  among  the  most  valuable  articles  in 
the  Museum.  The  stone  and  woodenware  clubs,  the 
beaded  cradles  and  the  articles  used  in  the  reli- 
gious rites  of  these  tribes,  should  receive  attention ; 
especially  the  stuffed  buffalo  skull,  the  sacred  pole 
and  the  Omaha  sacred  pipe  of  fellowship. 

The  Shoshone  relics  include  baskets,  a  bed  of  wil- 
low roots  bound  together,  a  lizard-catcher,  bark 
torch,  bull-roarer  (a  charm),  moccasins,  baskets, 
and  ladles. 

On  the  left  of  the  door  as  we  came  in  are  the 
figures  of  a  Pi  Ute  man  and  woman  and  a 'collec- 
tion of  dress  and  utensils.  On  the  right  are  some 
handsome  buckskin  and  fur  garments  from  the  Al- 


48  FIELD  LESSONS 

gonquin  tribes  of  Labrador ;  snowshoes,  a  gorgeous 
beaded  cloth  coat,  and  a  bow  taken  from  an  Indian 
in  Sudbury,  Mass.,  in  1665,  by  the  man  who  shot 
him. 

Room  12.  A  stone  grave  from  a  prehistoric 
burial-place  in  Jefferson  County,  Mo.,  containing 
parts  of  two  skeletons  and  a  pottery  dish,  just  as 
they  were  found,  first  meets  the  eye.  In  the  cases 
around  the  walls  may  be  found  a  great  variety  of 
Indian  pottery,  some  very  beautifully  carved  and 
moulded.  Most  of  these  are  from  the  Southern 
Central  States.  The  collection  of  spearheads  and 
arrowheads  from  Missouri,  the  red  and  white  pottery 
from  Arkansas  and  the  stone  hatchets  from  Ten- 
nessee are  among  the  best  things  in  the  room. 
Shoes  and  articles  made  from  cloth,  and  found  in 
the  Salt  Cave,  Kentucky,  are  on  the  south  side  of 
the  room. 

The  things  of  most  interest  to  the  younger  pupils 
are  the  *  model  of  the  Serpent  Mound  of  Adams 
County,  Ohio,  and  the  Cahokia  Mound  group.  The 
former  represents  •  a  park  of  seventy-five  acres, 
owned  by  the  Museum;  the  latter  an  area  of  two 
and  one-half  square  miles,  containing  the  largest 
group  of  Indian  mounds  in  the  world.  The  ac- 
companying cards  give  much  valuable  information. 

Other  interesting  objects  are  the  two  *  beetles  in 
a  case  near  the  door,  red  ochre  used  for  war-paint, 
and  the  *  pipes  made  in  the  forms  of  beavers,  bears, 
birds,  frogs,  dogs,  and  so  on. 

*  Of  special  interest. 


BOSTON  BASIN  49 

Fifth  Floor 

Room  54.  Indians  of  the  Southwest.  Here  is 
found  the  Mary  Hemenway  collection  of  Moqui  and 
Zuni  Indians.  It  is  the  finest  representation  of  the 
Pueblo  Indians  in  the  world.  To  the  left  as  you 
enter  is  seen  the  *  model  of  the  village  of  Tegua,  one 
of  the  Moqui  villages  of  Arizona.  At  the  right  of  the 
door  is  the  *  model  of  the  Pueblo  of  Acoma,  N.  M. 
Perhaps  the  finest  model  is  that  of  the  *  Pueblo 
of  Taos,  N.  M.,  modelled  by  Prof.  W.  H.  Jackson 
of  the  U.  S.  Geographical  Survey.  It  shows  in 
miniature  the  adobe  houses,  ladders,  and  under- 
ground rooms,  with  the  natural  features  of  the 
surrounding  region.  A  model  of  Montezuma's 
Well  in  Arizona  and  one  of  an  ancient  temple  are 
found  in  the  northwest  corner  case.  Along  the 
west  wall  are  several  *  models  of  ancient  cave 
towns,  one  showing  the  ruins  as  they  are  now,  while 
below  is  the  same  town  restored.  An  ancient  *  cliff 
fortress  of  Arizona,  and  a  cliff  ruin  in  the  canyon  of 
the  Rio  Mancos  of  Colorado,  are  worth  careful 
study.  In  the  southwest  corner  is  a  splendid  model 
showing  a  restoration  of  Pueblo  Bonito. 

Too  much  emphasis  cannot  be  placed  upon  the 
caution,  do  not  try  to  see  too  much  in  one  trip. 
In  taking  a  class  to  a  museum  such  as  the  Peabody 
the  children  are  likely  to  see  so  many  things  that 
they  will  get  only  a  confused  idea  of  many  objects, 
and  will  come  away  without  any  clear-cut  impres- 
*  Of  special  interest. 


50  FIELD  LESSONS 

sions.  The  best  plan  is  to  assign  beforehand  some 
one  special  object  or  class  of  objects  to  each  pupil, 
for  him  to  make  a  careful  study  and  drawing  of  the 
same  and  bring  in  a  written  or  oral  report  the  next 
day.  The  author  has  sent  groups  of  four  or  five 
grammar-school  pupils  in  charge  of  a  parent,  and 
excellent  results  have  been  obtained  in  every  case. 
If  the  teacher  visits  the  Museum  in  advance  with 
this  idea  in  mind  she  can  plan  out  a  lesson  that 
will  be  most  valuable.  All  talking,  except  by  the 
teacher,  should  be  forbidden,  and  the  natural  ten- 
dency of  children  to  call  the  attention  of  teacher  or 
comrades  to  what  he  finds  of  especial  interest 
stopped  at  the  outset.  Then,  when  the  trip  is  re- 
viewed in  the  class-room  (and  this  should  never 
be  omitted),  each  child  will  have  something  to  re- 
port on  that  he  knows  more  about  than  the  others 
do,  and  will  be  ready  to  tell  in  an  interesting  way 
what  he  has  seen.  The  valuable  practice  in  written 
or  oral  expression  thus  gained  by  the  pupil  is  one  of 
the  most  helpful  features  of  this  work. 


GRADE   VI.     LESSON  2 

Central  American  Trade,  Long  Wharf 

Long  Wharf  may  most  easily  be  reached  by  the 
Elevated,  stopping  at  State  Street  station.  A  letter 
addressed  to  the  United  Fruit  Company,  Long 
Wharf,  Boston,  will  bring  information  concerning 
the  time  of  arrival  of  the  steamers.     They  run 


BOSTON  BASIN  51 

very  regularly,  and  there  is  almost  always  one  of 
the  ships  in  port.  They  ply  between  Boston  and 
Port  Limon,  Central  America,  bringing  bananas  for 
a  cargo,  and  carrying  back  manufactured  articles, 
mostly  structural  iron  and  steel  for  bridges  and 
buildings,  railroad  material  and  similar  articles. 

The  Esparta  is  the  largest  of  the  fleet,  the  Limon, 
Admiral  Dewey  and  Admiral  Farragut  being 
small.  They  are  British  steamers.  The  officers  are 
most  cordial,  and  are  ready  to  give  the  class  much 
valuable  information  concerning  Central  America 
and  our  trade  relations  with  Costa  Rica. 


GRADE  VI.    LESSON  3 

Winthrop  —  Shore  Features 

Before  taking  this  trip  it  will  be  well  to  re- 
view briefly  the  geological  history  of  this  re- 
gion. All  the  land  in  Chelsea,  East  Boston,  Revere 
and  Winthrop  belongs  to  what  the  geologists  call 
the  Post  Pliocene  or  Recent  age,  which  means 
that  it  has  been  formed  in  recent  times.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  land  here  was  formed  at  the 
time  of  the  glacial  invasion.  Before  that  time  the 
sea  washed  the  base  of  the  old  hills  as  far  inland  as 
where  Linden  and  Maplewood  are  now  located. 

The  soil  forming  the  peninsula  of  Winthrop  was 
scraped  off  the  upland  to  the  north  by  the  on- 
moving  ice  and  deposited  on  the  shallow  floor  of 
the  old  harbor  in  the  form  of  long,  rounded  hills 


52  FIELD  LESSONS 

(drumlins),  which  rose  above  the  sea-level  as 
islands  when  the  ice  had  melted.  The  incessant 
work  of  active  tides  and  waves  in  time  of  storm  has 
greatly  changed  the  topography  since  then,  and 
brought  the  shore  features  to  their  present  shape. 
Bearing  this  in  mind,  it  will  be  well  to  make  the 
subject  of  our  lesson  not  merely  shore  forms, 

but  also  THE  ACTION  OF  WAVES  AND  TIDES  ON 
YIELDING  LAND. 

We  take  the  Boston,  Revere  Beach  and  Lynn 
ferry  at  Rowe's  wharf,  and  at  East  Boston  take 
a  train  that  will  stop  at  Ocean  Spray.  Here  we 
alight  and  walk  to  the  top  of  Winthrop  Great 
Head  for  the  beginning  of  our  lesson. 

Note  the  peculiar  shape  of  the  hill  we  are  on: 
its  gradual  slope  to  the  west,  with  steeper  sides  on 
the  north  and  south,  and  the  cliff-like  eastern  face. 
It  is  at  once  apparent  that  the  sea  has  washed  away 
a  full  half  of  the  hill.  Look  to  the  north  and  you 
will  see  what  has  become  of  the  eroded  material: 
it  has  been  carried  along  by  the  prevailing  north- 
erly tides  to  form  the  beach  that  stretches  from 
here  to  Grover's  Cliff.  This  form  of  beach  is  known 
as  a  "  connecting  beach,"  and  several  fine  exam- 
ples are  to  be  seen  on  the  trip.  We  see  one  to  the 
south,  joining  Winthrop  Head  to  Point  Shirley, 
which  was  formerly  an  island.  The  strong  cur- 
rent through  "Shirley  Gut"  keeps  this  narrow 
strait  open.  Note  the  tidal  flats  on  the  west  side 
of  Point  Shirley  and  Winthrop,  where  the  harbor 
is  being  filled  by  the  tides,  and  which  has  to  be  con- 


BOSTON  BASIN  53 

tinually  dredged  by  the  United  States  government 
at  great  expense. 

We  descend  to  the  foot  of  the  cliff,  noting  the 
character  of  the  material  composing  the  hill.  If 
we  look  carefully  we  shall  find  small,  somewhat 
rounded  or  flattened  stones  of  slate  with  distinct 
scratches  on  their  surface,  made  by  harder  stones 
being  rubbed  or  ground  against  them  when  they 
were  being  carried  along  in  the  moving  ice  sheet. 
We  will  take  two  or  three  of  the  best  for  the  school 
cabinet;  compare  the  somewhat  rounded  edges  of 
these  stones  with  the  wave-washed  stones  and 
pebbles  we  shall  find  on  the  beach,  and  learn 
to  distinguish  an  ice-worn  from  a  wave-worn 
stone. 

At  the  water's  edge  we  may  study  the  sorting 
action  of  the  water  on  the  soft  though  compact 
material  that  composes  the  hill.  Note  where  the 
large  stones  and  boulders  are.  What  has  become  of 
the  fine  soil  that  we  see  at  the  very  top  of  the  hill  ? 
Do  the  stones  grow  smaller  or  larger  as  we  near  the 
water's  edge?    Why  is  this  so? 

What  means  does  Nature  take  to  protect  the 
beach  she  has  been  forming?  Do  the  seaweeds  help 
protect  the  stones  from  being  ground  against  each 
other  in  time  of  storm?  Do  the  mussels  act  as  an- 
other protection?  What  do  you  think  must  be  the 
general  direction  of  the  tidal  currents  along  this 
shore? 

Such  questions  will  stimulate  thought  and  add 
much  more  interest  to  the  lesson  than  a  mere  re- 


54  FIELD  LESSONS 

cital  of  facts  to  your  pupils,  however  valuable  the 
facts  and  however  crude  the  answers. 

As  we  walk  along  the  stretch  of  beach  that  leads 
to  Grover's  Cliff  we  will  find  material  for  many  such 
questions.  Some  of  the  shells  seen  on  the  way 
may  be  taken  for  future  study,  but  the  class  should 
understand  that  the  main  object  of  study  is  the 
wave  action  on  the  shore. 

As  we  approach  Grover's  Cliff  we  note  the  shape 
of  the  hill,  how  symmetrically  it  rises  to  the  point 
where  the  sea  has  cut  into  it ;  and  turning  towards 
the  northwest  we  compare  it  with  the  perfect  outline 
of  Breed's  Hill  at  Orient  Heights,  which  we  see 
surmounted  by  the  stone  tower.  The  drumlin  just 
south  of  Grover's  Cliff  is  also  nearly  intact,  and  the 
two  may  be  compared  as  to  general  form  and 
direction.  Looking  back  towards  Winthrop  Head 
we  note  the  re-entrant  beach  on  its  northwest  side, 
with  the  small  tidal  stream  flowing  into  the  tidal 
inlet.  Compare  the  two  kinds  of  beaches  and  study 
the  causes  that  produced  each. 

After  examining  the  work  of  the  sea  on  Grover's 
Cliff  we  cross  the  low  stretch  of  made  land  that  con- 
nects it  with  the  tall  drumlin  upon  which  Beach- 
mont  has  been  built,  and  ascend  the  latter.  Here 
we  obtain  a  fine  view  of  Revere  Beach.  In  the 
foreground  is  a  small  peninsula  extending  in  a 
northeasterly  direction,  and  stretching  from  it  into 
the  bay  the  skeleton  of  a  lost  drumlin  —  a  "wit- 
ness," as  the  physiographers  call  it.  Only  the 
largest  of  the  boulders  that  once  formed  a  part  of 


BOSTON  BASIN  55 

it  have  been  left  to  bear  witness  to  its  former 
existence.  No  doubt  many  more  have  entirety 
disappeared. 

Revere  Beach  is  a  long  barrier  beach.  Its  pres- 
ence is  due  to  the  destruction  of  the  drumlins  we 
have  been  studying;  and  the  thousands  of  acres 
of  marsh  land  between  Revere  and  Lynn  have  been 
produced  as  a  direct  result  of  the  presence  of  this 
protecting  barrier.  The  sea  built  the  beach  in  times 
of  storm,  scouring  the  shallow  bottom  of  the  bay 
and  flinging  up  the  rocks  and  pebbles  and  sand,  and 
thus  shutting  in  the  Saugus  River  except  at  one 
point.  A  broad,  shallow  lagoon  was  thus  formed 
in  which  a  rank  marine  vegetation  sprang  up,  grad- 
ually filling  a  large  part  and  confining  the  tidal 
streams  to  ever  narrowing  boundaries.  We  thus 
have  before  us  a  type-form  of  growing  land;  and 
we  shall  learn  that  the  same  process  of  land-forma- 
tion has  produced  enormous  areas  of  new  land  sur- 
face in  our  Southern  States. 

If  we  compare  the  light  color  of  the  sand  along 
the  water's  edge  at  Revere  Beach  with  the  dark 
color  of  the  materials  composing  the  drumlins, 
some  inquiring  pupil  may  ask  the  reason  for  the 
difference  in  color.  An  examination  of  the  larger 
rocks  at  the  foot  of  the  Beachmont  hill  will  show 
that  most  of  it  is  granite  or  granitic  in  structure. 
The  hardest  constituent  of  granite  is  quartz;  and 
only  the  hardest  parts  of  the  stones  and  boulders 
can  survive  the  tremendous  pounding  and  grinding 
of  the  surf  in  storm.    All  else  is  ground  to  powder 


56  FIELD  LESSONS 

and  carried  out  into  deep  water.  So  the  sand  that 
forms  the  beach  is  the  quartz  and  feldspar  that  in 
part  composed  the  boulders. 

By  this  time  the  pupils  should  have  a  clear  idea 
of  the  meaning  of  the  terms  beach  (connecting, 
barrier,  re-entrant),  drumlin,  cliff,  tidal  flat  and 
tidal  marsh,  and  estuary,  isthmus  and  peninsula, 
if  the  teacher  cares  to  emphasize  the  three  last- 
mentioned.  They  should  know  something  of  the 
results  of  sea  action  on  glacial  till,  of  how  con- 
necting beaches  are  formed,  and  of  the  growth  of 
lagoons  into  marshes  and  solid  land.  Ice-rounded 
and  wave-smoothed  pebbles  should  be  distin- 
guished; and  perhaps  a  few  of  the  following  facts 
in  regard  to  the  early  history  of  Winthrop  should 
be  remembered. 


Winthrop  —  Historical 

Winthrop  was  named  for  Deane  Winthrop,  son  of 
the  Governor.  He  lived  on  what  is  now  Shirley 
Street  (near  Ocean  Spray),  and  here  he  died  in 
1704. 

The  Indians  who  lived  here  at  that  time  belonged 
to  the  Pawtucket  tribe,  whose  domain  reached  as 
far  as  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  and  to  Rhode  Island  on 
the  south.  The  head  of  the  clan  at  Chelsea  (whose 
Indian  name,  Winnisimmet,  is  still  preserved  in  the 
name  of  the  ferry)  was  Sagamore  John,  who  died 
in  1633.  The  Winthrop  peninsula,  surrounded  with 
fishing-grounds,  appears  to  have  been  a  favorite 


BOSTON  BASIN  57 

resort  of  the  red  men,  and  many  remains  of  their 
wigwam  villages  have  been  found  upon  it. 

Slavery  flourished  here  in  early  times,  and  the 
negro  burying-ground  in  the  north  part  of  the  town 
had  many  quaint  monuments.  Connected  with 
the  Bill  mansion,  on  Lincoln  Street  (now  over  two 
hundred  years  old),  were  several  negro  slaves,  and 
their  bills  of  sale  are  still  in  existence. 

As  late  as  1875  the  whole  population  of  Winthrop 
consisted  of  a  few  scattered  nouses  up  and  down  the 
eight  miles  of  coast.  Of  late  years  the  town  has 
become  not  only  a  great  summer  resort,  but  the 
permanent  home  of  more  than  seven  thousand 
people. 

GRADE  VI.    LESSON  4 

Trade  with  England 

Of  the  several  steamship  lines  plying  between 
Boston  and  English  ports  the  steamers  of  the 
Cunard  and  White  Star  lines  are  the  largest,  and 
offer  the  best  opportunities  for  the  study  of  freight 
and  passenger  traffic.  Others  may  be  found  in  the 
list  at  the  end  of  this  volume,  and  arrangements 
may  be  made  to  visit  any  particular  steamer  when 
in  port. 

On  the  two  lines  mentioned  visitors  are  not  al- 
lowed on  board  on  the  day  of  sailing.  The  time 
to  go  is  the  day  after  the  ship  gets  into  port,  as  the 
cargo  is  then  being  taken  from  the  hold,  and  may 
be  examined  by  the  class.    Notebooks  should  be 


58  FIELD  LESSONS 

carried  along,  and  a  complete  list  made  of  the  arti- 
cles actually  seen.  The  accommodations  for  first, 
second  and  third  class  passengers  are  willingly 
shown,  if  you  see  the  purser  as  soon  as  you  reach 
the  wharf. 

For  information  as  to  the  date  of  arrival  and  per- 
mission to  go  on  board  address  the  following: 
Cunard  Line  (to  Liverpool),  C.  P.  Sumner,  Agent, 
126  State  Street,  Boston.  White  Star  Line  (to 
Liverpool  and  Mediterranean  ports),  White  Star 
Line,  84  State  Street,  Boston. 

The  Cunarders  dock  at  East  Boston,  and  the 
wharf  may  most  easily  be  reached  by  taking  a 
Jeffries  Point  car  in  the  East  Boston  tunnel.  The 
White  Star  docks  are  in  Charlestown,  a  few  min- 
utes' walk  from  the  City  Square  station  of  the 
Elevated. 

GRADE  VI.    LESSON  5 
Faneuil  Hall  to  the  Granary  Burying  Ground 

History  Trip  No.   2 

(See  History  Outline,  p.  60,  School  Document  No.  14, 1909.) 

1.  Faneuil  Hall.  Built  by  Peter  Faneuil,  a 
wealthy  French  Huguenot  whose  grandfather 
had  come  from  New  Rochelle.  The  donor  was 
counted  the  richest  man  in  Boston  at  the  time  of 
his  death  (1742). 

Faneuil  Hall  was  finished  in  1742,  and  was  half 
the  size  of  the  present  building  and  two  stories  high. 


BOSTON  BASIN  59 

It  was  intended  as  an  exchange  for  the  Boston  mer- 
chants, and  the  second  story  was  generously  added 
by  Mr.  Faneuil  to  furnish  a  hall  for  general  meetings 
of  the  citizens  of  the  town.  It  has  truly  been  de- 
scribed as  the  "  Cradle  of  Liberty/'  for  beneath  its 
roof  the  greatest  of  our  Revolutionary  and  Aboli- 
tion orators  have  stirred  the  hearts  of  Boston's 
citizens  and  set  in  motion  those  impulses  that  have 
twice  changed  the  course  of  history  in  this  country. 

The  interior  was  burned  out  in  1763,  and  the  next 
year  the  state  rebuilt  and  enlarged  the  hall,  raising 
the  money  by  means  of  a  state  lottery.  The  first 
oration  delivered  here  was  in  1743,  on  the  occasion 
of  the  death  of  Peter  Faneuil.  Master  Lovell  of 
the  Latin  School  was  the  orator.  Some  of  the  most 
important  events  that  have  occurred  in  this  his- 
toric old  building  are  as  follows: 

Illumined  by  the  town  at  the  repeal  of  the 
Stamp  Act  (1766). 

Fitted  up  as  a  theatre  by  General  Howe,  and 
plays  given  here  during  the  winter  of  1775-1776. 

Count  D'Estaing  banqueted  by  the  town  in 
September,   1778. 

Lafayette  given  a  great  dinner  in  1784. 

Prince  Jerome  Bonaparte  dined  here  in  1804. 

President  Jackson  was  tendered  a  reception  in 
1833.  Vice-President  Van  Buren  and  Commodore 
Hull  were  among  the  celebrated  men  present. 

The  French  Prince  de  Joinville  entertained  at  a 
grand  ball  in  1841. 

Lord  Ashburton  received  by  the  citizens  in  1842. 


60  FIELD  LESSONS 

Wendell  Phillips  gave  his  first  great  anti-slavery 
oration  at  a  mass  meeting  here. 

2.  Adams  Square,  named  in  honor  of  Samuel 
Adams,  the  great  Revolutionary  patriot.  See  the 
history  of  the  man,  and  study  the  characteristic 
pose  of  Adams  in  the  statue  that  stands  here. 

3.  State  House  Square  contains,  first:  — 

The  Old  State  House 

The  Old  State  House  at  the  head  of  State  Street 
is  on  the  site  of  the  first  Town  House,  erected  in 
1657-1659,  burned  in  1711,  replaced  by  a  brick 
structure  which  was  also  burned  in  1747  with  all 
the  town  records.  The  building  now  known  as  the 
Old  State  House  was  erected  in  1748,  and  has  been 
used  for  many  purposes. 

"Besides  being  used  as  a  Town  House/'  says 
Drake,  ".  .  .  it  has  been  occupied  by  the  General 
Court  of  the  Colony  and  of  the  State,  by  the  Council 
of  the  Province,  and  as  a  barracks  for  troops.  It  was 
the  first  Exchange  the  merchants  of  Boston  ever 
had.  In  it  met  the  Convention  to  ratify  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States.  In  the  west  end  was 
located  the  Post-Office  in  its  beginning.  .  .  .  Under 
its  shadow  was  enacted  the  Massacre  by  a  detach- 
ment of  the  29th  British  Regiment,  the  result  of  con- 
stant collisions  between  the  people  and  the  soldiery. 
...  In  the  Chamber  of  Representatives  Independ- 
ence was  born,  and  here  originated  the  most  impor- 
tant measures  which  led  to  the  emancipation  of  the 
colonies. 


BOSTON  BASIN  61 

"  It  was  customary  to  read  the  commissions  of  the 
royal  governors  in  presence  of  the  court,  attended 
by  military  display,  in  the  Court  House,  as  it  was  then 
called.  The  news  of  the  death  of  George  II  and  the 
accession  of  George  III  was  read  from  the  balcony. 
The  popular  indignation  against  the  Stamp  Act  found 
vent,  in  1766,  in  burning  stamped  clearances  in  front 
of  this  building.  A  council  of  war  was  held  by 
Gage,  Howe  and  Clinton  here  before  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill.  On  the  18th  of  July,  1776,  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence  was  read  from  the  east  bal- 
cony to  a  multitude  that  completely  filled  State 
Street  (then  called  King  Street).  Here  the  Constitu- 
tion of  Massachusetts  was  planned.  In  1778  Count 
D'Estaing  made  a  splendid  entry  into  Boston  with 
his  fleet,  and  was  received  by  Governor  Hancock 
in  the  Council  Chamber.  ...  In  1789  Washington 
received  the  homage  of  the  people  from  a  temporary 
balcony  at  the  west  end.  .  .  .  There  have  been  a 
lottery  office,  engine-house,  and  even  a  newspaper 
published  in  the  old  building. " 

The  Square  also  contains  Boston  Massacre  tablet, 
and  site  of  the  Massacre.  The  circular  rows  of 
cobble-stones  in  the  street  to  the  east  of  the  Old 
State  House  mark  the  spot  where  the  first  blood- 
shed of  the  Revolution  occurred. 

4.  Devonshire  Street,  formerly  called  "Pudding 
Lane"  for  an  old  street  in  London,  is  one  of  the 
oldest  streets  in  the  city,  being  in  the  section  settled 
by  Winthrop's  colonists  in  1630. 

5.  Milk  Street,  formerly  Fort  Street,  as  it  ex- 
tended from  the  Province  House  (at  the  head  of 


62  FIELD  LESSONS 

the  street)  to  the  South  Battery  or  Sconce.  It  was 
once  a  part  of  the  residential  section  of  the  city, 
but  now  contains  not  a  single  dwelling. 

Benjamin  Franklin  was  born  at  the  corner  of 
Milk  and  Washington  Streets  on  January  6,  1706, 
in  a  house  that  formerly  stood  directly  opposite 
the  Old  South  Church. 

Robert  Treat  Paine,  signer  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  lived  at  the  corner  of  Milk  and 
Federal  Streets.  Howe's  headquarters  were  at 
the  corner  of  Milk  and  Oliver  Streets.  The  great 
fire  of  1872  was  stopped  at  the  corner  of  Milk  and 
Devonshire  Streets. 

6.  Old  South  Church.  The  most  famous  church 
building  in  America.  On  the  front  will  be  found  a 
tablet  reading: 

OLD  SOUTH 

Church  gathered  1669 

First  House  built  1670 

This  House  erected  1729 

Desecrated  by  British  Troops  1775-76 

It  was  called  the  South  Meeting  House  because 
it  was  in  the  south  part  of  the  town  at  the  time  it 
was  built. 

Boston  Massacre  orations  were  delivered  here 
by  Lovell  (1771),  Church  (1772),  Warren  (1773), 
Hancock  (1774),  and  the  famous  second  address  by 
Warren  in  1775,  when  he  had  to  climb  into  the 
building  by  a  window  in  the  second  story. 

The  Boston  Tea  Party  left  the  church  for  Griffin's 


BOSTON  BASIN  63 

wharf  (December  16,  1773),  and  went  down  Milk 
and  Pearl  Streets  to  the  wharf,  which  was  at  the 
foot  of  the  latter  street. 

General  Burgoyne's  regiment,  the  Queen's  Light 
Dragoons,  set  up  a  riding-school  in  the  church. 
The  floor  was  covered  deep  with  gravel,  and  liquor 
was  served  in  the  gallery.  Pews  were  used  for  fuel, 
and  in  one  instance  for  a  pig-sty. 

Used  as  a  recruiting  station  in  1862,  and  as  a 
post-office  after  the  great  fire.  The  clock,  when  it 
was  first  put  in,  was  considered  the  finest  in 
America. 

Is  now  used  as  a  museum  of  Revolutionary  relics, 
of  which  it  contains  many. 

7.  School  Street.  Laid  out  in  1640,  and  called 
"  the  lane  leading  to  Centry  Hill."  Later  named 
Latin  School  Street.  The  old  Latin  School,  founded 
in  1634,  was  situated  just  below  King's  Chapel. 
Franklin's  statue  in  front  of  City  Hall  stands  about 
where  the  eastern  limit  of  the  school  yard  ended, 
and  Franklin  was  one  of  the  famous  pupils  of  this, 
the  first  of  all  our  schools.  Among  the  other  men 
whose  names  have  become  household  words  and 
who  received  their  early  education  in  this  school 
were  John  Hancock,  Samuel  Adams,  Cotton  Mather, 
Sir  William  Pepperell  and  many  others.  The  tab- 
let commemorating  the  site  of  the  school  should  be 
noted. 

8.  City  Hall.  The  present  building  dates  from 
1862,  the  cornerstone  having  been  laid  that  year. 
The  land  has  been  owned  by  the  town  since  1645, 


64  FIELD  LESSONS 

having  been  deeded  by  Thomas  Scott o.  The  first 
Town  House  was  built  about  1658  and  stood  at 
the  head  of  State  Street.  The  second,  erected 
after  the  loss  of  the  first  by  fire  in  1711,  was  burned 
with  all  the  town  records  in  1747,  but  was  rebuilt 
the  following  year.  For  eighty  years  Faneuil  Hall 
was  used  as  a  Town  House,  and  the  Old  State 
House  was  similarly  used  from  1830  to  1840,  when 
the  old  County  Court  House  was  remodelled  for  a 
City  Hall. 

In  front  of  City  Hall  stand  two  famous  statues, 
one  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  as  has  already  been  men- 
tioned, the  other  of  Boston's  most  famous  mayor, 
Josiah  Quincy,  who  with  the  architect  Bulfinch 
transformed  the  city  and  gave  her  that  impulse 
that  has  made  her  the  second  port  in  the  country. 
Quincy  was  later  made  President  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege.   Note  the  inscriptions  on  the  two  monuments. 

9.  Tremont  Street.  One  of  the  old  streets.  Many 
names  have  been  given  the  different  parts  of  what 
is  now  called  Tremont  Street.  The  part  from 
School  to  Boylston  was  formerly  called  Common 
Street,  the  section  between  School  and  Winter  being 
long  known  as  Long  Acre,  from  a  famous  street  in 
London.  "Old  'Treamount  Street/"  says  Drake, 
"  began  in  1708,  at  the  extreme  corner  of  Court 
Street  and  Tremont  Row,  as  they  are  now, 
and  extended  around  the  base  of  what  was  first 
called  Cotton  Hill,  from  the  residence  of  Rev.  John 
Cotton.  The  northerly  part  was  called  Sudburv 
Lane." 


BOSTON  BASIN  65 

10.  Adams  Square.  The  square  dates  from  1879. 
The  statue  was  designed  by  Anne  Whitney.  Of 
it  Bacon  says : 

"It  portrays  him  as  he  is  supposed  to  have  ap- 
peared when  before  Lieutenant-Governor  Hutchin- 
son and  the  Council,  in  the  Council  Chamber  of  the 
Old  State  House,  as  chairman  of  the  committee  of 
the  town  meeting  the  day  after  the  Boston  Massacre 
of  1770,  and  at  the  moment  that,  having  delivered 
the  people's  demand  for  the  instant  removal  of  the 
British  soldiers  from  the  town,  he  stood  with  a  reso- 
lute look  awaiting  Hutchinson's  reply.'' 

11.  Cornhill  was  the  rendezvous  of  the  patriots 
who  organized  the  famous  Boston  Tea  Party. 
Near  here  James  Franklin  had  his  printing-office, 
where  Benjamin  Franklin  learned  his  trade,  and 
where  he  helped  publish  the  "New  England 
Courant,"  one  of  the  first  newspapers  printed  in 
the  New  World. 

On  Brattle  Street,  nearly  opposite  Marston's 
restaurant,  was  the  old  Murray's  Barracks,  where 
was  quartered  the  Twenty-ninth  regiment  of  British 
Regulars,  whose  presence  brought  on  the  Massacre. 
The  first  Quaker  meeting-house  stood  where  now 
we  see  the  Quincy  House,  and  the  Brattle  Square 
Church  stood  opposite  it.  The  American  House 
stands  on  the  site  of  General  Joseph  Warren's 
house. 

12.  Scollay  Square.  The  first  Free  Writing 
School,  begun  in  1683,  was  just  above  the  present 


66  FIELD  LESSONS 

entrance  to  the  subway.    It  continued  in  existence 
for  over  a  hundred  years. 

13.  Court  Square.  The  associations  connected 
with  this  locality  are  of  the  anti-slavery  period.  In 
February,  1851,  the  slave  Shadrach  was  rescued  by 
a  mob  of  Abolitionists,  and  two  years  later  was 
the  Anthony  Burns  riot,  in  which  one  man  was 
killed.  The  Court  House  stands  on  the  site  of  the 
old  Colonial  Prison,  where  were  imprisoned  the 
unhappy  Quakers,  the  so-called  witches,  and  at 
least  one  world-famous  criminal,  —  Captain  Kidd. 
Court  Street  was  first  called  Prison  Lane,  then 
Queen  Street.  To  the  east  of  the  Old  Court  House 
stood  Governor  John  Endicott's  house. 

14.  Pemberton  Square  was  originally  the  estate 
of  Rev.  John  Cotton,  who  built  a  house  here  in  1633. 
Sir  Harry  Vane  built  a  house  near  by  in  1635. 
Here  lived  John  Hull,  at  whose  mint  were  made 
the  pine-tree  shillings,  the  first  money  minted  in 
the  colony.  Governor  Bellingham  lived  for  many 
years  in  a  mansion  that  stood  where  we  now  find 
the  Suffolk  Savings  Bank;  and  later  the  beautiful 
house  and  grounds  of  Peter  Faneuil  occupied  the 
same  site. 

15.  Tremont  Street.  The  Parker  House  stands 
on  the  site  of  the  birthplace  of  Edward  Everett 
Hale,  and  of  Oliver  Wendell,  grandfather  of  the 
poet.  In  the  old  Granary  Burying-ground  lie 
the  remains  of  three  signers  of  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  —  John  Hancock,  Samuel  Adams 
and  Robert  Treat  Paine;  Governors  Bellingham, 


BOSTON  BASIN  67 

Dummer,  Bowdoin,  Increase  Sumner,  Sullivan  and 
Gore;  Chief  Justice  Sewall;  Paul  Revere;  Peter 
Faneuil;  the  parents  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  and 
the  Boston  Massacre  victims,  besides  many  other 
famous  men,  among  them  the  Revolutionary 
orator  and  patriot,  James  Otis. 

16.  King's  Chapel;  original  church  erected  in 
1688.  Enlarged  1710.  The  present  building  dates 
from  1754.  Mural  tablets  dating  from  the  Pro- 
vincial period.  Communion  table  of  1698  still  in 
use.  General  Joseph  Warren's  funeral  was  held 
here.  Tablet  to  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes,  written 
by  Charles  W.  Eliot. 

17.  Post  Office.  Here  was  checked  the  great 
Boston  fire  of  November  9-10,  1872,  which 
burned  over  sixty  acres,  and  destroyed  property 
worth  $60,000,000. 


CHAPTER  V 
GRADE  VII.    LESSON  1 

Roof  of  Schoolhouse  or  near-by  Hill 

THIS  lesson  is  for  the  purpose'of  teaching  the 
practical  use  of  the  compass  in  determining 
direction;  for  applying  this  knowledge  in  making 
a  sketch-map  of  the  region  in  sight,  giving  true 
direction  to  the  street  lines,  etc.;  and  for  deter- 
mining the  position  of  the  sun  in  relation  to  the 
true  west,  and  by  a  systematic  observation  of  the 
lengthening  or  shortening  of  the  sun's  shadow  at 
noon,  determining  its  (apparent)  southward  or 
northward  journey. 

By  means  of  landmarks  on  the  horizon,  the  four 
cardinal  points  of  the  compass,  with  the  school- 
house  or  hill  as  the  centre,  may  be  definitely  and 
permanently  fixed.  The  direction  of  important 
places  within  sight  may  be  determined,  and  later, 
from  a  study  of  maps,  the  position  of  near-by 
towns,  distant  cities,  and  the  great  land  masses 
may  be  fixed  in  mind .  Pupils  should  be  urged  to  pro- 
vide themselves  with  an  inexpensive  but  accurate 
compass,  and  should  be  taught  how  to  use  it  in  case 
they  become  lost  in  a  forest ;  i.  e.,  how  to  travel  in  a 
straight  line  in  any  desired  direction. 


BOSTON  BASIN  69 

In  making  the  first  sketch  map  a  small  area,  with 
fairly  straight  streets  or  bounding  lines,  should 
be  selected.  Later  larger  and  more  complicated 
areas  may  be  attempted,  and  a  lesson  or  two  given 
in  reading  and  constructing  maps  by  the  use  of 
contour  lines,  such  as  are  used  on  the  maps  issued 
by  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  and  on  the 
map  of  Boston  and  vicinity  issued  by  the  Metro- 
politan Park  Commission. 

For  determining  the  length  of  the  noon  shadow 
get  one  of  the  boys  during  the  manual-training 
period  to  mortise  a  two-foot  stick  into  a  board  two 
feet  by  two  feet,  and  select  some  convenient  place 
where  the  shadow  may  be  measured  along  a  level 
surface.  If  measurements  are  made  regularly  at 
noon  once  a  month  during  the  year,  and  a  record 
kept  on  a  cardboard  placed  in  some  conspicuous 
place  in  the  room,  the  class  cannot  fail  to  see  the 
connection  between  the  lengthening  of  the  noon 
shadow  and  the  shortening  of  the  day  up  to  the 
time  of  the  winter  solstice  (December  21),  and  the 
lengthening  day  and  shortening  shadow  to  the 
summer  solstice,  six  months  later.  The  autumnal 
and  vernal  equinoxes,  when  the  days  are  twelve 
hours  long  and  the  sun  rises  directly  in  the  east, 
will  thus  come  to  have  a  definite  meaning,  and  the 
change  in  seasons  will  be  made  clearer  to  the 
children. 

g0ST0B  -«-» «*£" 


70  FIELD  LESSONS 


GRADE   VII.     LESSON  2 


Commerce  with  India,  China,  Japan 

The  two  steamship  lines  ranning  from  Boston  to 
the  Far  East  are :  The  American  and  Indian  Line, 
A.  C.  Lombard's  Sons,  Agents,  156  State  Street, 
Boston;  China  and  Japan  Steamship  Lines,  Patter- 
son, Wylde  &  Co.,  Chamber  of  Commerce  Building, 
Boston. 

Write  to  either  one  for  information  as  to  date  of 
arrival  of  one  of  their  steamers  and  permission  to 
take  a  class  on  board.  The  latter  is  not  usually 
necessary,  as  the  officers  are  very  courteous  and 
obliging  about  allowing  pupils  on  shipboard.  Both 
lines  usually  dock  at  Mystic  Wharf,  midway  of  the 
long  wharf  connecting  Charlestown  and  Chelsea, 
and  reached  from  City  Square,  Charlestown,  by  any 
Chelsea,  Revere  or  Beachmont  car. 

This  trip  is  strongly  urged  as  a  great  incentive  to 
the  study  of  Asiatic  countries.  To  see  Indian  coolies 
at  work,  barefooted  and  in  their  native  costumes, 
to  talk  with  a  real  live  Mohammedan,  and  have 
him  tell  of  his  far-away  country,  its  people  and  cus- 
toms, is  an  experience  that  a  child  will  never  for- 
get, and  is  worth  many  days  of  study  from  books. 
It  will  prove  a  delightful  trip  to  the  teacher  who 
has  not  visited  one  of  these  steamers.  To  see  the 
Chinese  or  Japanese  coolies  is  almost  as  interesting. 
The  cargoes  often  contain  many  articles  both 
curious  and  valuable. 


BOSTON  BASIN  71 


GRADE  VII.    LESSON  3 

Trip  to  General  Lawrence's  Park,  West  Medford 

Before  taking  a  class  to  General  Lawrence's 
Park  you  should  visit  it  yourself  if  you  are  not 
already  familiar  with  the  view.  Take  a  good  map 
(the  one  to  be  obtained  from  the  office  of  the  Metro- 
politan Park  Commission  is  excellent  for  this),  a 
compass  and  opera-glasses,  if  you  have  them,  and 
go  prepared  to  face  a  strong  breeze  at  the  top  of 
the  tower.  Take  a  West  Medford  car  at  Sullivan 
Square  and  get  off  at  General  Lawrence's  estate 
(twenty-five  minutes  from  Sullivan  Square). 

Prepare  to  explain  everything  to  your  pupils 
which  you  wish  them  to  see,  as  much  valuable  time 
which  would  otherwise  be  spent  by  them  in  trying 
to  use  the  diagrams  will  thus  be  saved. 

As  the  walk  from  the  car  and  back  is  about  three 
miles,  much  of  which  is  hilly,  very  young  or  sickly 
pupils  should  not  attempt  the  trip.  Notebooks 
are  not  so  important  here  as  in  most  field  lessons, 
and  cameras  are  practically  useless,  owing  to  the 
broad  extent  of  the  view.  A  single  fare  will  take 
pupils  from  any  part  of  Boston  or  suburbs,  except 
those  using  the  East  Boston  Tunnel  or  the  ferries. 
A  full  half-day  should  be  allowed  for  the  lesson, 
preferably  the  afternoon,  as  it  cannot  be  well  done 
in  less  than  three  or  four  hours. 

After  leaving  Sullivan  Square  the  drumlins  of 
Chelsea,  Revere  and  Somerville  may  be  plainly 


72  FIELD  LESSONS 

observed.  Especially  clear-cut  is  that  upon  which 
Tufts  College  is  located  (160  feet  high).  We  are 
travelling  along  the  floor  of  the  basin,  much  of  the 
way  being  but  little  above  sea-level.  The  park  at 
the  western  end  of  the  Mystic  River  Reservation, 
noted  on  the  right  soon  after  leaving  Charlestown, 
is  worthy  of  notice,  as  it  is  the  beginning  of  the 
parkway  leading  to  Middlesex  Fells  on  the  north 
and  to  Revere  Beach  and  Winthrop  on  the  east. 

The  hills  seen  at  the  north  —  at  Maplewood, 
Maiden  and  Medford  —  are  on  the  rim  of  the 
basin.  Soon  after  crossing  the  Mystic  River  the 
car  begins  to  ascend  this  bordering  range. 

We  stop  at  General  Lawrence's  estate  (leaving 
the  car  at  Winthrop  Square),  pass  along  the  edge 
of  his  beautiful  gardens,  and  take  the  road  which 
leads  for  a  mile  through  field  and  woods  to  the  ob- 
servatory. Along  this  level  stretch  of  road  is  an 
excellent  opportunity  to  point  out  the  gently 
swelling  kames  to  right  and  left  —  low,  rounded 
elevations  of  glacial  till  covering  the  underlying 
ledges.  The  abundance  of  stone  walls  indicates 
the  glacial  character  of  the  soil,  and  the  excellent 
road  we  are  travelling  shows  what  good  road- 
building  material  the  till  makes. 

As  we  enter  the  wooded  park  the  character  of  the 
soil  changes  utterly.  Here  we  see  the  outcropping 
of  the  bed-rock,  the  hard  bluish-gray  ledges  of 
felsite,  one  of  the  oldest  of  all  rocks.  A  few  speci- 
mens, of  the  standard  size,  4  in.  X  3  in.  X  1  in. 
should  be  taken  on  the  way  home. 


BOSTON  BASIN  73 

The  effects  of  weathering  on  hard  rocks  are  well 
illustrated  here.  Fragments  of  the  ledge,  from 
pieces  as  large  as  a  stove  to  the  finest  soil,  may  be 
seen.  Other  phenomena  that  should  be  noted  are 
the  splitting  action  of  frost  and  freezing  water, 
of  the  roots  of  plants  and  shrubs,  and  even  of  trees 
growing  in  the  crevices  of  the  ledges.  All  this 
should  be  pointed  out,  and  talked  over  in  the  class 
after  the  lesson. 

Poison  ivy  is  very  abundant  here,  and  should  be 
identified  and  pupils  warned  against  coming  in 
contact  with  it.  The  means  taken  to  protect  the 
trees  against  the  ravages  of  the  gypsy  and  brown- 
tail  moths  may  be  noted,  and  the  telephones  placed 
here  and  there  in  the  park  for  the  use  of  the  fire- 
wardens and  police  are  worthy  of  passing  notice. 
If  desired,  the  journey  to  the  observatory  may  be 
made  interesting  by  identifying  as  many  as  possible 
of  the  trees,  ferns  or  flowers  along  the  road. 

Having  arrived  at  the  tower  we  proceed  at  once 
to  the  top ; 1  and  before  our  pupils  have  become 

1  When  you  have  reached  the  top  of  the  tower  you  may  have 
some  difficulty  in  reading  the  maps  there  shown  for  your  guid- 
ance. The  following  directions  may  be  of  service:  Find  on 
the  map  posted  on  the  top  platform  a  point  marked  N 
(North).  Stand  at  the  post  in  the  centre  of  the  floor  and  look 
for  that  corner  of  the  tower  marked  N  in  white  letters  over- 
head. This  will  give  you  the  northern  point  of  the  horizon; 
and  by  swinging  towards  the  northwest  you  can  easily  locate 
Mount  Monadnock,  a  blue,  conical  peak  on  the  sky-line. 
In  the  same  way,  by  referring  to  the  diagram,  you  can  dis- 
tinguish Mount  Wachusett  to  the  west,  Great  Blue  Hill 
(with  the  observatory  on  top)  as  the  highest  hill  to  the  south, 
and  so  on. 


74  FIELD  LESSONS 

tired  from  the  extended  view  we  point  out  and 
emphasize  the  three  broad  features  we  wish  to  im- 
press upon  their  minds: 

1.  The  remarkably  even  sky-line,  especially  to 
the  west  and  southwest ;  i.  e.,  the  level  of  the  old 
plain,  —  the  "peneplain." 

2.  The  rim  of  the  Boston  Basin,  from  the  north- 
east, curving  to  the  west  and  southeast. 

3.  The  densely  populated  flood-plains  of  the 
Charles,  Mystic  and  Neponset  rivers. 

The  tower,  standing  on  a  hill  two  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  feet  above  sea  level,  lifts  the  spectator 
to  a  height  of  three  hundred  and  ten  feet,  and 
gives  a  view  hardly  to  be  equalled  in  eastern  Massa- 
chusetts. The  great  danger  is  that,  with  all  the 
interesting  things  to  be  seen  from  it,  pupils  will 
overlook  or  forget  the  important  things  in  the 
multitude  of  details  which  the  view  affords,  and 
in  attempting  to  identify  familiar  places  will  pay 
too  little  heed  to  the  fundamental  features  of  topog- 
raphy here  presented. 

1.  The  Peneplain.  —  The  even  sky-line  to  the 
west  can  readily  be  explained  and  understood  as  an 
uplifted  plain,  with  an  average  elevation  of  about 
two  hundred  feet.  Towards  the  north  and  south, 
where  it  is  more  broken,  the  peneplain  may  be 
traced  if  you  imagine  the  tops  of  the  hills  to  be  con- 
nected. Explain  that  the  gaps  are  valleys  worn 
away  by  the  rivers,  and  that  the  higher  hills  are 
remnants  of  the  old  hard  mountains,  and  the  pene- 
plain will  readily  be  recognized  on  all  three  sides. 


BOSTON  BASIN  75 

Remember  that  it  rises  gradually  towards  the  west 
and  north,  and  dips  down  to  the  sea  to  the  east  and 
south. 

2.  The  Valleys.  —  From  this  elevation  the  valley 
of  the  Charles  may  be  traced  from  where  it  breaks 
through  the  upland,  off  to  the  southwest,  around 
the  rim  of  the  basin,  to  its  estuary  (its  old  drowned 
valley)  on  the  east.  The  Mystic  lies  at  our  feet, 
largely  hidden  by  trees  and  intervening  hills.  Its 
meandering  course  on  its  tidal  flats,  however,  is 
plainly  seen;  and  the  valley  of  the  Neponset  may 
be  noted  to  the  south,  where  it  sweeps  around  the 
base  of  the  Blue  Hills.  Tell  your  pupils  that  the 
two  last-mentioned  rivers  were  once  merely 
branches  of  the  Charles,  which  was  the  master- 
stream. 

3.  The  Rim  of  the  Basin.  —  This  is  not  so  clearly 
seen  from  the  tower  as  from  some  point  on  the 
flood-plain,  but  with  the  aid  of  your  map  it  may  be 
traced  from  Lynn  around  by  Arlington  to  the  Blue 
Hills  and  the  sea.  If  the  pupils  have  already 
sketched  it  from  the  board  they  will  all  the  more 
readily  recognize  it  here. 

4.  The  Flood-Plain.  —  Identify  the  cities  nes- 
tled along  the  rim  of  the  basin,  beginning  at  the 
east :  Lynn,  Maiden,  Medf ord  and  Belmont ;  then, 
where  the  Charles  curves  along  the  edge  of  the 
upland,  find  Waltham,  the  Newtons,  Riverside, 
Needham  and  Dedham.  Locate  Readville,  Milton 
and  Quincy  to  the  south. 

Point  out  the  broad,  rather  hilly  plain  between 


76  FIELD  LESSONS 

the  Charles  and  the  Neponset,  from  Watertown 
through  Brookline,  Jamaica  Plain,  Forest  Hills, 
Roslindale,  to  Mattapan  and  thence  to  the  sea. 

Show  how  the  land  upon  which  are  Cambridge, 
Somerville  and  Charlestown  (except  the  drumlins) 
was  brought  down  from  the  uplands  by  the  Charles 
and  the  Mystic  rivers ;  how  East  Boston,  opposite 
where  the  rivers  join,  owes  its  origin  to  their  com- 
bined action,  as  do  also  much  of  Chelsea  and  Win- 
throp.  Boston  proper  and  South  Boston,  with  much 
of  Roxbury  and  Dorchester,  rest  on  silt  brought  by 
the  Charles.  The  view  from  the  tower  shows  all 
this  with  great  clearness ;  and  these  facts  should  be 
reviewed  by  references  to  the  map  after  the  field 
lesson  is  over.  It  is  now  seen  that  all  of  "Greater 
Boston"  rests  on  the  waste  brought  from  the  up- 
land by  these  rivers,  with  glacial  hills  scattered 
over  the  flood-plains. 

The  difference  in  density  of  population  between 
the  basin  and  the  upland  is  very  apparent  from  this 
lofty  view-point,  especially  on  a  clear  day  after  the 
leaves  have  fallen,  or  in  early  spring.  Explain  why 
people  have  preferred  to  settle  on  the  lowlands,  — 
the  ease  of  transportation  and  communication, 
nearness  to  the  harbor  and  river-mouths  (hence 
greater  commercial  facilities) ;  the  richer  bottom- 
lands of  the  plains,  etc.  On  the  uplands  are 
steeper  roads,  therefore  poorer  ones ;  coarse,  grav- 
elly soil;  lack  of  railroad  facilities;  distance  from 
harbors,  markets,  etc.  Compare  the  farmhouses 
seen  on  the  hillsides  with  houses  in  the  suburbs. 


BOSTON  BASIN  77 

Two  other  features  may  well  be  studied  here; 
the  lakes  and  the  higher  mountain-summits.  Win- 
chester Lower  Reservoir,  Spy  Pond  and  Fresh 
Pond  are  clearly  visible.  Their  presence  may  be 
explained  as  due  to  the  obstructions  left  in  the  val- 
leys of  the  rivers  by  the  ice-sheet.  Lakes  that  for- 
merly occupied  some  of  the  hollows  have  already 
been  drained ;  all  those  we  see  are  only  temporary 
features  of  the  landscape,  and  will  finally  dis- 
appear unless  preserved  by  man.  The  pupils  will 
be  interested  in  the  subject  of  lakes,  and  a  talk  on 
their  origin,  history  and  disappearance  will  prove 
to  be  a  profitable  one  after  the  field  lesson.  Any 
good  text-book  in  Physical  Geography  will  give 
the  necessary  information. 

Of  the  mountains  seen  in  the  distance,  Monad- 
nock  in  southern  New  Hampshire  is  the  highest. 
It  has  been  selected  as  the  type  form  of  a  mountain 
of  very  resistant  rock,  rising  above  a  worn-down 
peneplain,  and  possessing  the  rounded  outline 
characteristic  of  these  ancient  mountains.  The 
physiographers  call  all  such  elevations  "monad- 
nocks." 

Wachusett,  the  lofty  peak  on  the  northwest,  is 
in  our  own  state,  and  is  of  similar  formation. 

Summary.  —  The  essential  features  of  this  les- 
son are: 

a.  The  "  Floor  of  the  Basin,"  fairly  level  as  a 
whole,  and  thickly  populated. 

b.  The  rivers,  which  have  largely  carved  out 
the  basin,  and  their  flood-plains. 


78  FIELD  LESSONS 

c.  The  "Rim  of  the  Basin,"  where  the  sur- 
rounding hills  meet  the  plain. 

d.  The  old  peneplain,  with  its  even  sky-line 
broken  by  the  rivers  and  their  valleys. 

e.  The  hard  residual  mountains,  rising  as  mo- 
nadnocks  above  the  surrounding  upland,  and  left 
as  witnesses  of  a  once  mighty  mountain  range. 

/.  The  evidences  of  glacial  action:  the  kames 
along  the  roadside;  the  drumlins  scattered  over 
the  valley  floor  and  about  the  harbor;  and  the 
lakes  and  ponds  which  add  so  much  to  the  beauty 
of  the  scenery,  and  are  so  valuable  as  reservoirs 
for  the  surrounding  cities. 


GRADE  VII.     LESSON  4 
North  Square  to  Griffin's  Wharf 

History  Trip  No.  3 

(See  History  Outline,  p.  60,  School  Document  No.  14, 
1909.) 

North  Square,  Paul  Revere  House. 

From  Faneuil  Hall  take  North  Street  until  you 
come  to  North  Square.  The  old  house  once  occu- 
pied by  Paul  Revere  is  No.  19  North  Square.  A 
knock  on  the  old  brass  knocker  will  bring  the  at- 
tendant to  the  door,  and  you  will  be  ushered  into 
the  living-room  where  Revere  entertained  the 
notable  men  of  Revolutionary  Boston. 

The  room  probably  presents  much  the  same  ap- 


BOSTON  BASIN      '  79 

pearance,  as  far  as  the  general  outline  goes,  as  it 
did  a  hundred  and  thirty-five  years  ago.  The 
heavy  beams  that  support  the  second  floor  are  the 
original  timbers.  The  fireplace  is  as  it  was ;  and  a 
part  of  the  ancient  wall-paper  is  to  be  seen  at  the 
rear  of  the  room.  A  tin  lantern  of  the  period, 
thought  to  be  the  handiwork  of  Revere,  stands  on 
a  table  near  the  fireplace.  Other  interesting  relics, 
though  not  connected  with  the  famous  patriot,  are 
an  ancient  Bible  printed  in  1646 ;  a  flint-lock  with 
a  barrel  seven  feet  in  length,  with  a  powder  horn 
and  toddy-flask,  which  hang  over  the  fireplace. 

In  the  kitchen  you  will  find  the  original  fireplace, 
and  in  a  cupboard  a  brace  of  pistols  that  belonged 
to  Revere.  His  toddy-warmer  stands  on  the  man- 
tel-piece. The  door  connecting  the  two  rooms  was 
dug  out  of  a  mass  of  debris  in  the  cellar  when  the 
house  was  purchased  by  the  Paul  Revere  Asso- 
ciation in  1907,  and  seems  to  have  fitted  this  frame. 

On  the  second  floor  there  is  little  of  close  associa- 
tion with  Revere.  The  windows  from  which  he 
showed  the  transparencies  on  the  night  of  the 
Boston  Massacre  are  the  front  ones  looking  out  on 
North  Square.  The  window-frames  are  doubtless 
the  original  ones.  Some  colonial  furniture  of  the 
period  is  to  be  seen  here,  including  an  old-fashioned 
four-posted  bed  and  a  highboy  with  a  secret 
drawer. 

There  is  so  little  of  historical  interest  in  the 
house  that  unless  arrangements  can  be  made  with 
those  in  charge  to  admit  the  class  at  reduced  rates 


80  FIELD  LESSONS 

(the  regular  admission  is  twenty-five  cents)  a  view 
of  the  exterior  of  the  house  may  suffice.  It  im- 
presses one  at  a  glance  with  a  feeling  that  it  has  been 
a  part  of  the  history  of  our  country,  and  every 
schoolboy  and  schoolgirl  in  Boston  ought  to  visit 
it,  as  well  as  the 

Old  North  Church 

which  is  but  a  few  rods  distant,  on  Salem  Street. 
This  is  not  only  one  of  the  most  famous  of  Boston's 
churches,  but  it  is  the  oldest,  having  been  begun  in 
1723.   The  large  tablet  over  the  door  states  that 

THE   SIGNAL  LANTEKNS   OP 

PAUL   REVERE 

DISPLAYED   IN   THE    STEEPLE    OP  THIS    CHURCH 

APRIL    18,    1775, 

WARNED   THE    COUNTRY   OF   THE   MARCH   OF  THE 

BRITISH  TROOPS   TO   CONCORD   AND   LEXINGTON. 

The  view  from  the  top  of  the  steeple,  designed 
by  Bulfinch,  and  reached  by  a  climb  up  the  one 
hundred  and  forty-six  steps,  shows  the  harbor  across 
which  Revere  rowed  and  his  landing-place,  now 
occupied  by  the  Navy  Yard.  The  cemetery  at  the 
north  is  Copp's  Hill,  no  longer  "  wrapped  in  a 
silence  sombre  and  still,"  but  echoing  the  noises  of 
this  crowded  section  of  the  city.  A  fine  view  of 
Boston  and  its  surroundings  is  had  from  the  win- 
dows. Remember  that  from  this  very  steeple  Gage 
watched  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 

On  our  way  down  we  pause  to  note  the  chime  of 
eight  bells,  the  best  in  the  city,  placed  here  in  1744. 


BOSTON  BASIN  81 

The  interior  of  the  church  is  interesting.  The  high- 
backed  pews,  with  the  rear  row  higher  than  the 
others;  the  holes  for  the  tithing-men's  wands; 
the  pew  in  which  Gage  sat;  the  fine  old  organ; 
the  cherubim  and  the  hand-wrought  chandeliers, 
relics  of  the  French  and  Indian  wars;  the  silver 
communion  service  presented  to  the  church  in 
1733  by  King  George ;  the  bust  of  Washington  by 
Houdon;  and  in  the  chapel  the  "  Vinegar  Bible," 
so  called  because  the  Parable  of  the  Vineyard  is 
erroneously  spelled  "  Vinegar  " ;  the  old  tin  lan- 
tern, and  the  foot-stoves,  —  all  these  will  interest 
your  pupils.  Much  interesting  additional  informa- 
tion concerning  the  old  church  may  be  obtained 
from  the  sexton. 

Not  far  away,  at  the  corner  of  Salem  and  Sheafe 
Streets,  lived  Robert  Newman,  who  hung  the  lan- 
terns out  for  Revere;  and  perhaps  you  might  em- 
phasize the  fact  that  he  took  far  more  risk  than  did 
Paul  Revere. 

On  Sheafe  Street  you  may  point  out  the  house  in 
which  was  born  the  Rev.  S.  F.  Smith,  author  of 
"  America." 

Copp's  Hill  Burying  Ground  is  on  Hull  Street, 
named  for  that  Hull  who  minted  the  pine-tree 
shillings.  (Tell  your  pupils  the  story  of  how,  when 
his  daughter  Hannah  married  Judge  Sewall,  John 
Hull  gave  as  dowry  his  daughter's  weight  in  shil- 
lings.) The  house  which  stands  with  its  end  to  the 
street  is  the  old  Gallop  house,  built  in  1722,  and 
used  by  Gage  as  his  headquarters  on  June  17, 1775. 


82  FIELD  LESSONS 

On  Copp's  Hill  are  the  graves  of  the  Mathers  — 
Increase,  Cotton  and  Samuel;  of  Captain  Thomas 
Lake,  "  perfidiovsly  slain  by  ye  Indians  at  Kenni- 
beck,  Avgvst  ye  14th,  1676 ";  of  Captain  Daniel 
Malcolm,  celebrated  in  Holmes's  poem,  "The 
Battle  of  Bunker  Hill,"  his  grave  still  bearing  the 
marks  of  British  bullets;  of  Edmund  Hartt,  who 
built  the  Constitution;  and  of  many  other  inter- 
esting men  and  women  of  bygone  days.  Bacon 
states  that  "a  corner  of  the  inclosure  by  Snowhill 
Street  was  formerly  used  for  the  burial  of  slaves"; 
and  adds  that  "Near  the  Charter-Street  entrance  is 
a  willow  grown  from  a  slip  from  the  willow  at 
Napoleon's  grave." 

On  leaving  Copp's  Hill  we  take  Charter  Street, 
which  keeps  in  remembrance  the  Provincial  Charter 
of  1692.  As  we  pass  Foster  Street  we  recall  that 
during  the  days  of  Andros  the  Colonial  Charter  was 
hidden  for  a  while  (in  1681)  at  the  house  of  John 
Foster,  for  whom  the  lane,  now  street,  was  named. 
As  we  pass  the  corner  of  Salem  and  Charter  Streets 
we  are  on  the  spot  where  that  famous  old  adven- 
turer, Sir  William  Phipps,  built  his  brick  mansion 
on  "the  fair  Green  Lane"  of  Boston.  When  you 
get  back  read  to  the  class  the  remarkable  story  of 
this  poor  boy  in  Swett's  "Stories  of  Maine." 

We  turn  down  Greenough  Lane  into  Commercial 
Street  and  a  few  steps  bring  us  to  Constitution 
Wharf,  with  its  tablet  inserted  in  the  brick  front  of 
the  American  Sugar  Refining  Company's  warehouse. 
The  story  of  the  frigate  is  told  in  another  part  of 


BOSTON  BASIN  83 

this  book.  It  will  be  well  to  call  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  Boston  was  built  here  as  well  as  "Old 
Ironsides/'  and  to  look  up  the  story  of  that 
famous  frigate  in  some  good  history  of  the  city. 

Just  south  of  Constitution  wharf  we  pass  Bat- 
tery wharf,  the  site  of  the  old  "North  Battery/' 
one  of  the  early  fortifications  of  Boston.  Another 
battery,  the  South  Battery  (often  called  the  Boston 
Sconce),  was  situated  at  what  is  now  Rowe's  wharf. 
In  those  days  the  tide  ebbed  and  flowed  as  far  as 
Dock  Square,  and  the  two  batteries  were  connected 
by  a  long  wooden  harbor  defence  called  the  Barri- 
cado,  with  openings  for  vessels  to  go  and  come. 
We  shall  follow  the  line  of  the  Barricado  as  we  pass 
south  along  Atlantic  Avenue. 

Take  note  of  the  different  steamship  lines  as  we 
go  along  the  Avenue :  for  Norfolk,  Va.,  at  Battery 
wharf;  for  the  Provinces,  at  Union  wharf;  for 
Europe  (Clyde  Line)  and  Savannah,  Ga.,  at  Lewis 
wharf;  for  Newfoundland  and  Prince  Edward 
Island,  at  Commercial  wharf;  for  the  Grand 
Banks,  at  T  wharf;  and  as  we  pass  Long  wharf 
at  the  foot  of  State  Street  we  are  opposite  the 
oldest  wharf  in  the  city  (formerly  Boston  Pier, 
1710). 

Directly  under  Long  wharf  runs  the  East  Boston 
Tunnel,  with  its  double  curve,  one  of  the  finest 
engineering  feats  in  the  world.  From  Central 
wharf  steamers  run  to  Philadelphia  and  to  Glouces- 
ter; from  India  wharf,  to  New  York  and  Maine. 

After  passing  Otis  wharf  and  the  end  of  Oliver 


84  FIELD  LESSONS 

Street  we  come  to  the  site  of  Griffin's  or  the  "Tea 
Party"  wharf,  the  end  of  our  trip. 

Here,  at  the  foot  of  Pearl  Street,  is  a  tablet  bear- 
ing the  following  legend: 

Here  formerly  stood 
GRIFFIN'S  WHARF 

at  which  lay  moored  on  Dec.  16,  1773,  three 
British  ships  with  cargoes  of  tea.    To  defeat 
King  George's  trivial  but  tyrannical  tax 
of  three  pence  a  pound,  about  ninety 
citizens  of  Boston,  partly  disguised 
as  Indians,  boarded  the  ships, 
threw  the  cargoes,  three  hun- 
dred and  forty-two  chests 
in  all,  into  the  sea, 
and  made  the  world 
ring  with  the  patriotic 
exploit  of  the 
BOSTON  TEA  PARTY. 

"No,  ne'er  was  mingled  such  a  draught 

In  palace,  hall,  or  arbor, 
As  freemen  brewed  and  tyrants  quaffed 
That  night  in  Boston  Harbor." 


GRADE  VII.     LESSON     5 

Lexington.    Historical  Trip 

Lexington  may  be  reached  either  direct  from  Sullivan 
Square  terminal  without  change  of  cars,  or  from  Park  Street 
via  Harvard  Square  and  Arlington  Heights.  The  former  is 
the  quicker  route,  but  the  latter  takes  one  over  much  of  the 
ground  covered  by  Lord  Percy  in  his  retreat  from  Lexington. 
A  good  plan  is  to  take  the  shorter  route  going,  and  to  return 
by  Cambridge  if  time  permits.  Fare  on  either  line,  ten  cents. 
Running  time  from  one  to  one  and  a  half  hours. 


BOSTON  BASIN  85 

It  will  be  of  interest  to  the  pupils  to  see  the  tab- 
lets along  the  route  if  the  Cambridge  trip  is  chosen, 
especially  the  Wadsworth  House  at  Harvard  Square, 
Massachusetts  Hall,  the  Cambridge  Common,  the 
Washington  Elm,  site  of  the  White  Horse  Tavern, 
Cooper's  Tavern  and  the  Jason  Russell  House  in 
Arlington,  and  other  Revolutionary  landmarks 
along  the  way.  These  may  be  pointed  out,  espe- 
cially if  you  have  a  megaphone  and  have  told  the 
pupils  where  to  look  for  the  places. 

It  may  be  well  to  alight  from  the  car  at  the  old 
Munroe  tavern,  though  only  the  outside  can  be 
seen,  even  if  we  go  up  to  the  house.  The  principal 
things  to  be  noted  about  the  famous  old  inn  are  as 
follows :  The  room  on  the  left,  as  you  face  the  house, 
was  used  as  a  hospital  for  the  wounded  British 
soldiers  while  Lord  Percy  had  his  headquarters 
here;  on  the  right  is  the  bar-room,  where  a  de- 
crepit old  man  served  grog  to  the  scarlet-clad  sol- 
diers who  shot  him  as  he  was  attempting  to  leave 
the  inn ;  on  the  southeast  side,  up  one  flight,  is  the 
room  in  which  Washington  dined  when  on  his  last 
trip  to  New  England,  November  5,  1789.  The 
chair  in  which  he  sat  is  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs. 
The  tablet  outside  tells  us  that  the  tavern  was 
built  as  long  ago  as  1695. 

We  may  climb  up  to  the  top  of  the  hill  and  see 
where  Lord  Percy  planted  one  of  his  two  cannon  to 
cover  the  retreat ;  or  we  may  go  back  to  the  road 
and  walk  directly  to  the  stone  cannon  marking  the 
spot  where  the  other  cannon  was  placed.    After 


86  FIELD  LESSONS 

reading  the  inscriptions  we  proceed  to  the  village 
green. 

Here  we  first  inspect  the  stone  pulpit  which 
marks  the  site  of  the  old  meeting-house,  immor- 
talized in  Longfellow's  poem  on  Paul  Revere. 
Back  of  it  is  the  elm  planted  by  President  Grant 
on  the  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  battle. 

On  the  hillside  to  the  west  is  the  wooden  belfry 
from  which  was  rung  the  alarm  calling  the  minute- 
men  on  the  dawn  of  the  19th  of  April,  1775.  It 
stood  on  the  green  near  the  church.  It  was  built  in 
1761  on  the  spot  where  it  now  stands. 

Returning  to  the  green  we  cross  over  to  the  stone 
boulder  marking  the  line  of  the  minute-men,  with 
Captain  Parker's  memorable  words  engraved  be- 
neath an  ancient  flintlock.  The  gun  that  Parker 
carried  may  be  seen  in  the  Senate  Chamber  at  the 
State  House. 

The  next  point  of  interest  is  the  granite  obelisk 
just  back  of  which  are  buried  the  eight  men  who  fell 
in  this  memorable  skirmish.  The  monument  was 
finished  in  1799,  and  its  rather  bombastic  inscrip- 
tion will  be  read  with  interest  by  the  pupils.  Re- 
mind them  that  where  they  stand  have  stood  such 
heroes  as  Lafayette,  Kossuth,  Grant  and  others. 

Across  the  street  on  the  north  is  the  Munroe 
house,  to  the  shelter  of  which  Caleb  Harrington 
was  running  when  he  fell  mortally  wounded. 

We  walk  through  the  secluded  churchyard,  paus- 
ing only  long  enough  to  see  the  Eustis  monument, 
that  erected  to  Captain  Parker,  and  the  graves  of 


BOSTON  BASIN  87 

the  ministers  Hancock  and  Clarke.  Then  we  come 
out  in  front  of  the  Jonathan  Harrington  house  and 
read  the  inscription  on  its  front,  take  a  look  at  the 
old  Buckman  tavern  (1690),  and  continue  our 
walk  along  Elm  Avenue  and  up  Hancock  Street 
to  the  Hancock-Clarke  house. 

This  was  built  in  1689,  and  was  the  residences  of 
the  two  ministers  who  were  the  only  pastors  of  the 
historic  church  on  Lexington  green  for  over  a  cen- 
tury. In  this  house  Samuel  Adams  and  John  Han- 
cock were  sleeping  when  roused  to  their  danger 
by  the  strident  call  of  Paul  Revere.  It  will  be  re- 
membered that  one  of  the  purposes  of  the  British 
in  their  expedition  was  to  capture  these  two  men,  — 
a  fact  of  which  Revere  was  evidently  aware.  The 
interesting  Revolutionary  and  Colonial  relics  in  the 
different  rooms  are  worthy  of  a  very  careful  ex- 
amination, and  exhaustive  notes  should  be  taken 
by  the  pupils. 

On  the  way  back  we  may  ascend  "Granny  Hill," 
on  whose  summit  Sam  Adams  stood  at  sunrise  of 
the  19th,  and  as  he  heard  the  firing  exclaimed, 
"What  a  glorious  morning  for  America!" 

Returning  to  the  Common  we  end  our  trip  with 
a  visit  to  the  old  Town  House,  which  contains  sev- 
eral valuable  relics  of  the  fight,  the  most  interesting 
being  the  brace  of  handsome  pistols  worn  by  the 
redoubtable  Major  Pitcairn.  After  their  capture 
they  became  the  property  of  General  Israel  Putnam, 
who  carried  them  throughout  the  war.  Here,  too, 
is  the  tongue  of  the  bell  whose  warning  note  called 


88  FIELD  LESSONS 

the  minute-men  from  their  beds  to  face  the  regu- 
lars from  the  mother  country.  Some  spirited 
paintings,  relics  of  Washington,  etc.,  might  be  in- 
spected if  we  had  the  time;  but  the  class  has  by 
this  time  seen  all  that  it  can  retain,  so  we  will 
take  the  next  car  for  Arlington  and  return  home 
over  the  road  taken  by  the  exhausted  and  terrified 
redcoats  under  shelter  of  Percy's  escort. 


CHAPTER  VI 
GRADE  VIII.    LESSON  1 
Charlestown  Nlavy  Yard 

Reached  via  elevated  or  surface  cars  to  City  Square.  Fare 
five  cents  from  any  of  the  suburbs.  From  City  Square  walk 
along  Chelsea  Street  or  turn  to  the  right  and  go  along  by  the 
Hoosac  Tunnel  docks,  where  at  the  White  Star  or  the  Leyland 
docks  some  European  steamer  is  almost  always  to  be  seen.  At 
Wapping  Street  is  the  main  entrance  to  the  Navy  Yard,  which 
is  always  open  to  visitors  (except  Sundays). 

THE  main  purpose  of  this  trip  is  to  study  the 
development  of  our  navy.  Here  may  be  seen 
many  types  of  fighting  craft,  and  three  ships  that 
have  taken  part  in  the  four  naval  wars  of  our  his- 
tory :  the  famous  old  Constitution,  which  first  saw 
service  in  the  war  with  the  pirates  of  Tripoli,  and 
was  the  central  figure  in  the  wonderful  sea-fights 
of  the  War  of  1812-1814;  the  Wabash,  which  saw 
service  in  the  southern  blockade  during  our  Civil 
War;  and  the  New  York,  one  of  the  most  famous 
of  the  battleships  engaged  in  the  recent  war  with 
Spain. 

'Besides  these  there  may  usually  be  seen  other 
types  of  ships,  cruisers,  torpedo-boats,  torpedo-boat 
destroyers,  submarines,  etc.  A  well-planned  les- 
son should  be  given  in  advance  on  the  wooden  frig- 
ate and   battleship,  the   invention  of   the  little 


90  FIELD  LESSONS 

Monitor  in  1862,  and  the  essential  feature  of  the 
revolving  turret  emphasized  in  all  modern  battle- 
ships; also  the  revolution  in  naval  architecture 
inaugurated  by  the  substitution  of  iron  and  steel 
for  wood  in  shipbuilding.  Many  other  valuable 
lessons  in  modern  inventions  are  also  taught  on  this 
trip,  as,  for  instance,  the  use  of  wireless  telegraphy 
in  peace  and  war,  the  semaphore  for  signalling,  the 
shape  and  use  of  torpedoes,  and  similar  lessons. 

The  land  upon  which  the  Yard  has  been  built 
was  formerly  Moulton's  Point,  where  the  British 
soldiers  landed  from  the  Somerset  and  Frolic  for 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  The  Yard  covers  an 
area  of  nearly  a  hundred  acres,  and  is  owned  by  the 
United  States  government.  The  water-front  ex- 
tends for  a  mile  and  three-quarters  in  a  north- 
easterly direction,  and  contains  one  of  the  largest 
dry  docks  in  the  world,  made  of  hammered  granite 
with  a  floor  of  oaken  timbers.  It  is  750  feet  long 
and  125  feet  in  width,  and  the  first  ship  ever  docked 
in  it  was  the  Constitution,  in  1833,  with  Commo- 
dore Hull  on  her  deck. 

Ships  are  no  longer  built  here,  but  many  of  the 
largest  vessels  of  our  navy  are  sent  here  for  repairs 
or  to  be  fitted  out  for  service.  During  the  summer 
of  1910  the  great  battleship  North  Dakota  was  put 
in  commission  here  and  made  ready  for  her  Euro- 
pean cruise.  It  has  for  many  years  been  the  home 
of  the  most  famous  of  all  our  ships,  the  old  Con- 
stitution, and  is  likely  to  be  her  home  for  the  next 
hundred  years. 


BOSTON  BASIN  91 

The  yard  contains  huge  machine-shops,  a  rope- 
walk  over  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long,  store-houses, 
shops  in  which  are  cast  heavy  cannon,  a  magazine 
and  arsenal,  and  in  one  of  the  oldest  buildings  in 
the  Yard  (built  in  1803)  a  Naval  Museum.  This  is 
at  the  right  as  we  enter  the  Yard,  and,  if  open, 
may  well  serve  as  the  first  thing  of  interest  to  be 
seen  on  our  trip. 

After  seeing  the  interesting  relics  here  shown  we 
proceed  directly  to  the  wharf  on  the  right  where 
"Old  Ironsides"  reposes  in  majestic  peace.  The 
writer  has  many  times  been  disturbed  if  not  dis- 
gusted by  the  levity  displayed  by  the  average  boy 
who  visits  this  consecrated  old  ship,  and  suggests 
that  teachers  who  take  pupils  on  board  her  instil 
into  them  something  of  the  veneration  shown  by  the 
older  visitors.  The  following  plan  has  been  adopted 
by  some  teachers  with  excellent  results : 

First,  take  the  class  in  a  body  up  into  the  bow  of 
the  frigate  and  tell  them  that  the  vessel  is  a  frigate, 
and  what  the  term  means.  Then  give  them  a  brief 
summary  of  her  splendid  history.  Impress  upon 
them  the  fact  that  no  ship  in  the  world  is  so 
famous  (except  Nelson's  flagship,  the  Victoria)  or 
is  visited  by  so  many  thousands  of  people;  that 
heroes  like  Lawrence  and  Hull  and  Decatur  and 
Bainbridge  have  trod  her  decks,  often  dyed  with 
the  blood  of  her  brave  defenders;  that  Lafayette 
and  Lord  Byron  and  many  other  famous  men  have 
come  aboard  to  pay  homage  to  her  splendid  his- 
tory.  Have  one  of  the  pupils  read  or  recite  Holmes's 


92  FIELD  LESSONS 

stirring  poem.  Tell  them  that,  although  the  Con- 
stitution sometimes  was  compelled  to  run  from  a 
superior  force  (as  on  the  occasion  when  she  was 
chased  for  three  days  by  a  whole  fleet  of  English 
ships),  she  never  lost  a  battle  in  which  she  was 
engaged. 

"  Old  Ironsides  " 

The  keel  of  the  Constitution  was  laid  at  Hartt's 
(now  Constitution)  wharf  in  November,  1794,  ac- 
cording to  an  act  passed  by  the  Third  Congress 
and  approved  by  President  Washington.  The 
copper  bolts  and  spikes  used  in  her  hull  were  fur- 
nished by  Paul  Revere.  The  frigate's  sails  were 
made  in  the  Old  Granary,  where  now  stands  Park 
Street  Church.  Her  first  figure-head  was  one  of 
Hercules  with  uplifted  club.  It  was  shot  away  in 
the  attack  on  Tripoli,  and  was  replaced  by  a  figure 
of  Neptune.  Later  a  scroll,  now  preserved  on 
board,  and  lastly  a  bust  of  Andrew  Jackson,  orna- 
mented her  bow. 

After  two  unsuccessful  attempts  at  launching, 
the  Constitution  was  finally  floated  on  Saturday, 
October  21,  1797.  Commodore  James  Sever  chris- 
tened her  with  a  bottle  of  choice  old  Madeira  wine. 
She  was  the  first  of  the  new  frigates  to  carry  the 
fifteen  stars  and  stripes  under  canvas.  She  carried 
44  guns,  400  men,  was  of  1576  tons  burden,  and 
cost,  ready  for  sea,  $302,719. 

On  August  13  she  proceeded  to  sea  under  the 
command  of  Samuel  Nicholson,  who  had  been  a 


BOSTON  BASIN  93 

lieutenant  with  Paul  Jones  in  his  action  with  the 
Serapis.  The  fourth  lieutenant  was  Isaac  Hull, 
who,  fifteen  years  later,  won  such  glory  in  the  same 
frigate  in  her  famous  action  with  the  Guerriere. 
The  first  crew  were,  with  few  exceptions,  natives  of 
Massachusetts. 

The  first  and  second  cruises  were  unimportant. 
On  August  14,  1803,  under  the  command  of  Com- 
modore Preble,  "the  father  of  our  navy,"  she 
weighed  anchor  from  Boston  for  the  Mediterranean. 
Here,  under  the  walls  of  Tripoli,  she  received  her 
first  baptism  of  fire.  In  that  brief  but  memorable 
war  she  played  a  conspicuous  part,  and  for  the  first 
time  in  history  made  the  American  flag  known  and 
feared  by  the  dwellers  of  that  inland  sea. 

In  1804  the  frigate  was  commanded  for  a  short 
time  by  the  brave  but  ill-fated  Decatur,  with  Law- 
rence as  his  first  lieutenant. 

When  the  War  of  1812  broke  out,  the  Constitution 
was  in  command  of  Isaac  Hull,  whose  ingenuity 
enabled  him  to  escape  a  whole  British  fleet  when 
becalmed  off  Marblehead  in  July,  1812.  The  story 
appeals  strongly  to  every  wide-awake  American 
schoolboy.  The  method  by  which  it  was  accom- 
plished was  as  follows. 

The  frigate  carried  two  "  umbrellas, "  so  called, 
made  of  stout  spars  attached  to  a  central  spar  like 
an  umbrella  frame.  These  were  covered  with  can- 
vas, and  could  be  opened  or  closed.  While  the 
British  ships  were  being  towed  towards  the  Con- 
stitution by  marines  in  boats,  Hull  caused  his  "urn- 


94  FIELD  LESSONS 

brellas"  to  be  carried  out  ahead  of  his  ship  and 
then  warped  his  vessel  up  to  them,  so  contriving, 
that  while  one  was  being  hauled  in  the  other  was 
being  put  in  position.  In  this  way  he  left  his  pur- 
suers astern  before  they  discovered  the  clever 
Yankee  trick.  These  old  " umbrellas' '  are  one  of 
the  most  interesting  sights  at  the  Navy  Yard. 

Of  the  famous  fight  between  the  Constitution 
and  the  Guerriere  you  have  already  told  your 
pupils;  but  it  should  be  pictured  so  vividly  that 
when  they  stand  upon  this  historic  deck  they  can 
see,  in  imagination,  the  whole  glorious  combat. 
An  interesting  incident  in  the  battle  is  told  by 
Drake  as  follows :  — 

Hull,  who  had  a  good  deal  of  the  bluff  sailor  about 
him,  exclaimed  when  he  saw  the  mast  of  the  Guer- 
riere, go  by  the  board,  "  Hurrah,  my  boys,  we  Ve 
made  a  brig  of  her."  A  shipmaster,  prisoner  on 
board  the  Guerriere,  gives  an  interesting  account 
of  his  experience  during  the  action.  While  the 
Constitution  was  manoeuvring  for  position,  Captain 
Dacres  of  the  English  vessel  asked  his  prisoner, 
"Do  you  think  she  will  strike  her  flag  without 
firing?  " 

The  prisoner  obtained  permission  to  retire  into 
the  cockpit.    He  goes  on  to  say: 

"Within  one  moment  after  my  foot  left  the 
ladder  the  Constitution  gave  that  double-shotted 
broadside  which  threw  all  in  the  cockpit  in  a 
heap  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  ship.  For  a 
moment  it   seemed  as  if  heaven  and  earth  had 


BOSTON  BASIN  95 

struck  together:  a  more  terrific  shock  cannot  be 
imagined." 

After  the  firing  ceased  the  prisoner  returned  to 
the  deck,  and  continues :  — 

"What  a  scene  was  presented,  and  how  changed 
in  so  short  a  time,  during  which  the  Guerriere 
had  been  totally  dismasted  and  otherwise  cut  to 
pieces,  so  as  to  make  her  not  worth  towing  into 
port.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Constitution  looked 
perfectly  fresh,  and  even  those  on  board  the  Guer- 
riere did  not  know  what  ship  had  fought  them. 
Captain  Dacres  stood  with  his  officers  surveying 
the  scene  —  all  in  the  most  perfect  astonishment. " 

"  At  this  moment  a  boat  was  seen  pulling  off  from 
the  hostile  ship.  As  soon  as  within  speaking  dis- 
tance, a  young  gentleman  (Midshipman,  late  Com- 
modore Reed)  hailed  and  said,  '  Commodore  Hull's 
compliments,  and  wishes  to  know  if  you  have 
struck  your  flag? '  At  this  Captain  Dacres  appeared 
amazed,  but  recovering  himself  and  looking  up  and 
down,  he  deliberately  said:  "Well,  I  don't  know, 
—  our  mainmast  is  gone,  our  mizzenmast  is  gone, 
and  upon  the  whole  you  may  say  we  have  struck 
our  flag.'" 

The  little  hurt  received  by  the  Constitution  in  this 
engagement  —  her  hull  showing  only  here  and  there 
a  scar  —  gave  her  the  name  of  "  Old  Ironsides,"  by 
which  she  was  familiarly  known.  Her  crew,  in- 
deed, affirmed  that  the  Guerriere* s  shot  fell  harm- 
less from  her  "  iron  sides." 

The  next  man  to  command  this  famous  frigate  was 


96  FIELD  LESSONS 

William  Bainbridge,  who  had  been  captured  in  the 
Philadelphia  at  Tripoli  in  1803.  On  December  12, 
1812,  off  the  coast  of  Brazil,  the  Constitution  fought 
and  destroyed  the  Java,  which  struck  her  flag  only- 
after  the  loss  of  every  mast  and  spar  and  the  death 
of  her  brave  commander  Lambert.  In  those  rough 
times  it  is  a  source  of  satisfaction  to  know  that 
when  the  officers  of  the  Java  were  put  off  at  San 
Salvador  they  expressed  the  warmest  gratitude  for 
the  humane  and  generous  treatment  they  had 
experienced. 

In  1813,  with  Captain  Charles  Stewart  in  com- 
mand, "Old  Ironsides'7  sailed  out  of  Boston  Harbor 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  seven  British  warships  were 
lying  in  wait  for  her  outside.  She  returned  in  June, 
1814,  and  was  chased  into  Marblehead  by  the 
frigates  Tenedos  and  Junon.  In  December  of  the 
same  year  Stewart  closed  the  naval  career  of  the 
frigate  with  the  brilliant  capture  of  two  English 
ships,  the  Cyane  and  the  Levant,  off  the  island  of 
Madeira.  In  all  she  captured  eight  armed  vessels, 
carrying  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight  guns,  and  ten 
unarmed  prizes.  Her  flag  has  been  seen  in  nearly 
every  sea,  and  her  deck  has  been  trod  by  many 
famous  men.  In  1882,  while  in  the  Mediterranean, 
Lord  Byron  paid  her  a  visit,  an  incident  of  which  was 
his  remark  that  "he  would  rather  have  a  nod  from 
an  American  than  a  snuff-box  from  an  emperor." 

It  is  worthy  of  note,  in  passing,  that  Commodore 
David  Porter,  of  Civil  War  fame,  was  at  one  time  a 
first  lieutenant  on  this  famous  old  ship. 


BOSTON  BASIN  97 

Pupils  will  be  interested  in  "The  Affair  of  the 
Figure-head/ '  as  told  by  Drake  in  his  u01d  Land- 
marks of  Boston."  It  serves  to  show  how  bitter 
was  political  feeling  during  the  days  of  Andrew 
Jackson's  presidency.  Of  course  they  all  know  the 
circumstances  which  gave  rise  to  Holmes's  famous 
poem,  and  they  will  study  it  with  renewed  in- 
terest after  they  have  been  on  board  "Old  Iron- 
sides." 

The  Receiving-ship  Wabash 

The  United  States  steam  frigate  Wabash  was  built 
by  the  government  at  the  Philadelphia  Navy  Yard. 
She  is  one  of  four  similar  ships  which  at  the  time 
of  their  construction  were  considered  the  best  mod- 
elled and  most  powerful  men-of-war  afloat,  and 
were  largely  copied  by  other  nations. 

She  was  built  in  1855,  and  her  dimensions  are  as 
follows :  displacement,  4,650  tons ;  depth,  23  feet ; 
speed  under  steam  alone,  7  knots;  cost,  $854,430. 
She  carried  37  officers  and  650  men. 

In  1863,  when  she  first  saw  active  service  in 
naval  warfare,  her  armament  consisted  of  forty- 
two  9-inch,  and  one  11-inch  smooth  bore  Dahlgren 
guns,  one  8-inch  Parrott  rifle,  and  one  30-pounder 
rifle. 

On  May  25,  1858,  she  was  placed  in  commission 
with  Samuel  Barron  as  captain,  and  became  the 
flag-ship  of  the  Mediterranean  squadron.  On  the 
16th  of  May,  1861,  she  initiated  the  blockade  off 
Charleston,  S.  C,  and  in  August  of  the  same  year 


98  FIELD  LESSONS 

she  formed  part  of  the  squadron  under  Rear- 
Admiral  Stringham  which  captured  Forts  Hatteras 
and  Clark,  at  Hatteras  Inlet.  These  forts  were 
commanded  by  Captain  Samuel  Barron  (her  old 
commander),  who,  after  the  surrender,  remarked 
to  Admiral  Stringham  that  he  never  felt  so  proud 
of  the  "Old  Navy"  as  he  did  when  the  shells  from 
the  ships  were  coming  into  the  forts  with  such 
rapidity  and  accuracy. 

The  most  important  engagement  in  which  the 
Wabash  took  part  was  the  storming  and  capture  of 
Port  Royal,  S.  C,  on  November  7,  1861,  in  which 
she  led  the  line.  In  this  action  a  shot  struck  No. 
16  gun  and  killed  Thomas  Jackson,  the  captain  of 
the  gun.  Members  of  her  crew  were  engaged  in 
some  of  the  most  daring  of  the  storming  parties  in 
the  war.  One  hundred  men  and  officers  from  the 
Wabash  manned  Battery  Siegel  in  the  bombard- 
ment and  capture  of  Fort  Pulaski,  Ga.  Her  men 
assisted  in  the  reduction  of  Fort  Wagner,  off 
Charleston,  S.  C. 

In  the  fall  of  1864  she  went  north,  and  took  part 
in  Admiral  Porter's  two  attacks  on  Fort  Fisher. 
She  lost  more  men  in  this  action  than  did  any  other 
vessel. 

After  serving  as  the  flagship  of  the  European  sta- 
tion in  1871  she  was  put  out  of  commission  at  the 
Boston  Navy  Yard,  where  she  has  remained  ever 
since.  For  the  last  thirty-five  years  she  has  been 
used  as  a  receiving-ship,  where  the  officers  and 
men  who  are  waiting  for  assignments  to  their  re- 


BOSTON  BASIN  99 

spective  ships,  or  whose  vessels  are  undergoing 
repairs  at  the  Navy  Yard,  are  assigned  a  temporary 
home.  The  day's  routine  is  enlivened  by  music  and 
dancing,  and  a  great  deal  of  freedom  is  allowed  the 
men  who  make  the  Wabash  their  home.  During  the 
hours  from  ten  to  four  visitors  are  always  welcome, 
and  a  half-hour  on  board  the  Wabash  is  one  of  the 
pleasant  est  features  of  a  trip  to  the  Navy  Yard. 

GRADE  VIII.    LESSON  2 

Boston  as  a  Commercial  Port 

The  object  of  this  field  lesson  is  to  get  a  compre- 
hensive view  of  the  port  of  Boston  in  relation  to 
foreign  and  domestic  trade.  The  lesson  should  in- 
clude as  many  of  the  wharves  and  freight  yards, 
grain  elevators  and  vessels,  as  can  be  seen  in  a 
single  trip.  The  remainder  of  the  lesson  may  be 
taken  by  groups  who  have  learned  on  this  trip  what 
to  look  for,  and  can  report  to  the  rest  of  the  class 
on  their  return. 

The  Elevated  stations  furnish  an  excellent  van- 
tage-point from  which  to  view  the  different  parts  of 
the  harbor. 

If  we  start  at  Dudley  Street  terminal  and  take 
an  Atlantic  Avenue  train  we  may  see  something  of 
the  shipping  in  the  South  Bay  and  Fort  Point 
Channel,  although  a  much  better  view  can  be  ob- 
tained by  coming  from  Dudley  Street  by  a  Dor- 
chester Avenue  car,  securing  transfers  to  the 
Elevated  when  we  pay  our  fares.    This  will  take  us 


100  FIELD  LESSONS 

along  the  South  Boston  water-front  and  enable 
us  to  see  Carter's,  Johnson's,  Leatherbee's,  Smith's, 
Craft's  and  Emery's  wharves  on  the  Boston  side, 
with  whatever  ships  may  be  moored  along  Fort 
Point  Channel.  Boston  wharf,  on  the  South 
Boston  side,  is  directly  opposite  the  South  Station. 

Stopping  at  Rowe's  wharf  we  note  the  coast- 
wise shipping  about  here,  Foster's  wharf  (Bangor 
steamers)  just  south,  and  India  wharf  (New  York 
freighters)  to  the  north.  A  glimpse  of  the  harbor 
and  the  steamers  and  sailing-vessels  lying  at 
anchor  may  be  had  from  here,  but  the  tall  build- 
ings shut  out  most  of  the  water-front. 

We  next  pass  Central  Wharf,  where  the  steamers 
for  Philadelphia  and  for  Gloucester  are  moored. 
Alighting  at  State  Street  station  we  note  the 
steamers  of  the  United  Fruit  Company  unloading 
bananas  from  Costa  Rica.  Across  on  the  East 
Boston  side  we  can  see  the  docks  of  the  Leyland 
and  Cunard  lines  for  Europe,  and  the  extensive 
new  docks  of  the  Boston  and  Albany  Railroad. 
The  Dominion  Atlantic  Railway  Company's  steam- 
ers for  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia  leave  the 
end  of  Long  Wharf,  with  the  East  Boston  Tunnel 
cars  running  directly  under  their  keels. 

Taking  the  next  train  north  we  note  the  forest 
of  masts  about  T  Wharf,  where  the  fishing-boats 
are  unloading  their  fares.  Next  come  the  Eastern 
Packet  Pier  and  Commercial  Wharf,  with  the 
Plant  Line  of  steamers  to  Canadian  ports.  At 
Lewis  Wharf  the  Clyde  Line  and  the  -Ocean  Steam- 


BOSTON  BASIN  101 

ship  Company  have  their  headquarters.  Next 
north  is  Sargent's  Wharf,  with  the  tall  building  of 
the  Bay  State  Sugar  Refinery  shutting  out  the  view 
of  the  water.  Next  above  is  Union  Wharf,  with  a 
line  running  to  Maine  and  the  Provinces,  and  the 
large  United  States  Bonded  Warehouse  on  the 
north. 

We  again  alight  at  the  Battery  Street  station. 
On  our  right  is  Lincoln  Wharf,  and  on  the  left 
Battery  Wharf,  with  a  steamer  line  running  to 
Norfolk,  Va.  Across  the  harbor  is  the  East  Boston 
water-front,  with  Lombard's,  Leighton's,  Morri- 
son's and  Whidden's  docks,  largely  given  up  to 
coastwise  trade,  though  now  and  then  a  tramp 
steamer  from  some  foreign  country  is  seen  moored 
at  one  of  them.  Constitution  Wharf,  with  its  tall 
grain  elevator,  comes  next  on  Atlantic  Avenue. 

Again  taking  the  train  we  go  to  North  Station, 
passing  Fiske's  Wharf,  the  North  End  Park  and  the 
Boston  Gas  Company's  property.  At  North  Sta- 
tion we  pass  through  the  turnstile  and  take  an 
Elevated  train  for  Charlestown. 

As  we  cross  the  bridge  we  get  a  good  view  of  the 
Hoosac  Tunnel  docks,  with  the  piers  of  the  Warren, 
Furness  and  White  Star  Line  steamers  to  Europe. 
The  tall  grain  elevators  here  tell  us  something  of 
the  kind  of  freight  carried,  though  Boston  has  lost 
greatly  in  the  past  ten  years  as  a  grain-exporting 
port.  A  study  of  the  reasons  that  have  led  to  this 
deplorable  state  of  affairs  and  the  part  that  the 
railroads  have  played  furnish  a  theme  that  will 


102  FIELD  LESSONS 

interest  the  older  pupils  and  will  appeal  to  their 
civic  pride. 

At  City  Square  we  see  on  the  left  the  extensive 
freight  yards  of  the  Boston  and  Maine  Railroad, 
to  which  we  owe  so  much  of  our  foreign  and  do- 
mestic commerce.  It  brings  grain,  cattle  and  all 
kinds  of  food-stuffs  from  the  West  for  the  waiting 
steamers  to  Europe.  When  back  in  the  class-room 
trace  on  the  map  the  movement  of  these  staples 
from  West  to  East. 

We  obtain  transfers  and  take  a  surface  car  for 
Chelsea  (a  Revere  or  Beachmont  car  will  answer), 
and  go  as  far  as  the  centre  of  Chelsea  Bridge.  Here, 
better  than  at  any  other  place  in  the  city,  we  can 
see  the  extent  of  Boston's  commerce.  To  our  right, 
as  we  face  Chelsea,  is  the  Allan  Line  dock,  whose 
ships  run  to  Glasgow.  Here,  too,  come  steamers 
from  Hull,  England ;  from  Germany,  from  Calcutta 
and  Colombo ;  from  China,  Japan  and  the  Philip- 
pine Islands.  Perhaps  we  shall  see  some  of  them 
loading  or  unloading,  and  may  inspect  their  car- 
goes before  returning  home. 

On  our  way  back  we  may  take  note  of  the  North 
Union  and  South  Union  stations,  the  latter  one  of 
the  largest  in  the  world ;  and  of  the  great  piers  of 
the  New  York,  New  Haven  and  Hartford  Railroad, 
which  has  recently  leased  from  the  State  the  great 
Commonwealth  docks,  just  south,  for  a  term  of 
fifteen  years  at  a  rental  of  $70,000  a  year. 

A  copy  of  the  Report  of  the  Metropolitan  Im- 
provements Commission's  "  Public  Improvements 


BOSTON  BASIN  103 

for  the  Metropolitan  District"  (1909),  obtained 
through  your  State  representative  or  senator,  will 
give  you  in  detail  the  broad  plans  for  the  future 
improvement  of  Boston  and  suburbs,  and  contains 
maps  and  plans  that  will  be  of  help  in  the  classroom 
in  many  ways. 

GRADE  VIII.    LESSON   3 
The  State  House 

The  object  of  a  visit  to  the  State  House  is  twofold : 
first,  to  see  the  monuments,  statues  and  tablets 
about  the  building  and  the  State  House  itself,  with 
the  different  departments  that  are  here  housed; 
and,  secondly,  to  study  the  method  of  passing  a 
law. 

The  class  is  given  in  advance  certain  facts  in 
regard  to  the  building :  that  the  southern  end,  with 
the  dome  above,  was  the  first  part  to  be  built,  and 
was  completed  in  1798,  the  corner-stone  having 
been  laid  three  years  before  by  Samuel  Adams 
(then  Governor),  assisted  by  Paul  Revere.  Two 
additions  have  been  made,  in  1855  and  1889- 
1895,  the  latter  at  a  cost  of  two  and  a  half  million 
dollars ;  the  entire  cost  to  date  has  been  something 
over  seven  million  dollars.  The  park  and  site 
occupy  six  acres  of  land. 

As  we  approach  the  State  House  from  the  Com- 
mon we  stop  first  to  view  the  beautiful  memorial 
to  Robert  Gould  Shaw  at  the  corner  of  Park  and 
Beacon  Streets.    It  is  one  of  the  best  of  all  St. 


104  FIELD  LESSONS 

Gaudens's  works,  and  the  inscriptions  should  be 
carefully  noted,  and  time  taken  to  at  least  copy  the 
following  words: 


WITH   HEAKT   THAT   BEAT   A    CHARGE    HE    FELL 
FORWARD   AS   FITS   A  MAN 

BUT  THE  HIGH  SOUL  BURNS  ON  TO  LIGHT  MEN'S  FEET 
WHERE  DEATH  FOR  NOBLE  ENDS  MAKES  DYING  SWEET." 

Next  of  interest  is  the  bronze  equestrian  statue 
of  Major-General  Joseph  Hooker,  "  Fighting  Joe/' 
sculptured  by  D.  C.  French,  the  horse  by  E.  C. 
Potter.  A  study  of  this  splendid  monument  will 
add  new  interest  to  the  heroic  deeds  that  Hooker 
performed  in  the  Civil  War.  The  Devens  and  Banks 
statues  near  the  east  entrance  to  the  park  should 
be  studied,  and  some  information  be  given  as  to 
who  these  two  men  were  and  their  services  in  war 
and  in  peace.  As  we  ascend  the  broad  steps  on  the 
south  side  of  the  building  we  note  the  bronze  statues 
of  Horace  Mann,  our  greatest  educator,  and  of 
Daniel  Webster  —  the  latter  by  Hiram  Powers,  the 
funds  having  been  contributed  by  school  children 
and  teachers  in  1860. 

The  tall  pedestal,  with  the  eagle  perched  on  its 
top,  marks  the  site  of  the  old  beacon  erected  in 
1634-1635,  from  which  the  hill  took  its  name.  The 
inscription  upon  the  bronze  tablet  in  the  base  was 
prepared  by  Ex-President  Eliot  of  Harvard.  The 
inscriptions  on  the  four  sides  of  the  beacon  give  a 
fine  summary  of  the  chief  events  of  the  Revolution, 


BOSTON  BASIN  105 

and  may  well  be  assigned  to  four  of  the  pupils 
for  reproduction. 

The  interior  of  the  building  contains  so  many 
things  of  interest  that  care  must  be  taken  in  select- 
ing the  most  important.  We  first  enter  Doric  Hall, 
with  its  statues  of  Washington  and  Andrew,  the 
war  governor;  its  brass  cannon  dedicated  to  Major 
Buttrick  and  Captain  Davis  of  Concord  Bridge 
fame;  its  numerous  tablets,  and  its  paintings  of 
sixteen  of  the  Governors  of  the  Commonwealth. 
In  the  passageway  in  the ,  rear  of  Doric  Hall  is  a 
colored  skylight  containing  the  names  of  the  ten 
republics  that  preceded  our  own. 

Grand  Staircase  Hall.  —  Beyond  Doric  Hall 
is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  staircases  in  the  New 
World.  It  is  of  Italian  marble,  with  a  balcony 
formed  of  twelve  Ionic  columns.  As  we  reach  the 
second  floor  and  look  back  we  see  in  the  stained 
glass  windows  figures  emblematic  of  Manufactures, 
Commerce,  Education,  Fisheries  and  Agriculture. 
The  seal  of  the  Colony  of  Massachusetts  and  of  the 
Commonwealth  are  cut  in  marble  at  the  head  of  the 
stairs.  The  historical  paintings  upon  the  wall  at  the 
head  of  this  staircase  are  worthy  of  careful  study. 

1.  Writs  of  Assistance.  —  This  painting  by  Reid 
represents  James  Otis  making  his  famous  speech 
against  the  granting  of  the  infamous  Writs.  "  The 
scene,"  says  John  Adams,  "is  the  Council  Cham- 
ber in  the  old  Town  House  in  Boston.  The  date  is 
in  the  month  of  February,  1761.  ...  In  this 
chamber,  round   a   great   fire,  were   seated   five 


106  FIELD  LESSONS 

judges,  with  Lieutenant-Governor  Hutchinson  at 
their  head,  as  Chief  Justice,  all  arrayed  in  their 
new,  fresh,  rich  robes  of  scarlet  English  broadcloth ; 
in  their  large  cambric  bands  and  immense  judicial 
wigs.  Otis  was  a  flame  of  fire !  1 1  will,  to  my  dying 
day,  oppose  with  all  the  powers  and  faculties  God 
has  given  me,  all  such  instruments  of  slavery  on 
the  one  hand  and  villainy  on  the  other,  as  this  Writ 
of  Assistance  is/  said  he.  American  independence 
was  then  and  there  born." 

2.  The  Boston  Tea  Party.  —  This  shows  one  of 
the  British  East  India  ships  anchored  at  Griffin's 
Wharf.  It  is  the  night  of  December  16, 1773.  The 
Boston  warehouses  are  shown  in  the  background, 
and  on  board  the  ship  may  be  seen  the  "Indians" 
who  are  mixing  that  famous  brew  that  England 
found  so  little  to  her  taste.  The  painting  is  full  of 
life  and  the  spirit  of  the  times,  and  is  a  source  of 
great  interest  to  every  visitor. 

3.  Paul  Revere' s  Ride.  —  No  American  boy  or 
girl  needs  to  be  told  what  this  painting  represents. 
Longfellow's  poem  has  made  both  the  story  and  its 
hero  immortal.  We  see  Revere  dashing  through  a 
village  street  warning  the  country  folk  "to  be  up, 
and  to  arm !" 

Two  small  panels  complete  the  group  of  paint- 
ings. The  one  at  the  right  is  a  portrait  of  Samuel 
Adams,  the  one  at  the  left  a  medallion  of  John 
Hancock.  In  the  background  is  a  group  of  flags 
used  by  the  Massachusetts  colonists  before  the 
adoption  of  the  stars  and  stripes.    They  are  the 


BOSTON  BASIN  107 

"Bunker  Hill"  flag,  the  " Rattlesnake"  flag,  a  white 
flag  with  a  pine  tree  in  the  corner,  and  a  red  flag, 
blue  union,  with  the  crosses  of  St.  Andrew  and 
St.  George. 

Memorial  Hall. — Civil  War  Flags. — Me- 
morial Hall  is  almost  in  the  centre  of  the  State 
House.  It  is  dedicated  to  those  who  gave  their 
lives  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  and  in  the  niches 
about  the  circular  room  are  kept  the  battle-flags 
carried  by  Massachusetts  troops  in  that  war.  The 
dome,  containing  the  eagles  of  the  Republic,  and  in 
stained  glass  the  great  seal  of  the  Commonwealth 
surrounded  by  the  seals  of  the  other  twelve  original 
states,  surmounts  the  round  gallery  with  its  pillars 
of  Siena  marble.  A  visit  to  this  room  should  be  a 
lesson  in  patriotism  never  to  be  forgotten.  The 
return  of  these  battle-torn  flags  is  the  subject  of 
one  of  the  historic  paintings  about  the  gallery  in 
Memorial  Hall.    These  are  as  follows :  — 

1.  The  Pilgrims  on  the  Mayflower  (painted  by 
Henry  0.  Walker).  "A  group  of  Pilgrims  is  seen 
on  the  deck  of  the  Mayflower  at  the  end  of  their 
long  voyage.  Worn  with  suffering  and  fatigue  they 
are  gazing  at  the  shore,  which  is  at  last  in  sight. 
The  painting  aims  to  represent  the  spirit  of  that 
moment.  The  actual  forms  of  the  Pilgrims  are  not 
known ;  types  have  been  selected  to  represent  their 
physical  bearing.  Over  their  heads  are  two  angels 
bearing  an  open  Bible,  and  across  the  painting  is 
the  inscription,  'For  the  Lord  is  our  defence,  and 
the  Holy  One  of  Israel  is  our  King  V" 


108  FIELD  LESSONS 

2.  John  Eliot  preaching  to  the  Indians.  —  In  this 
painting  by  Walker,  John  Eliot,  the  Apostle  to  the 
Indians,  is  seen  expounding  the  Scriptures  to  the 
savages  at  their  village  at  Natick,  on  the  banks  of 
the  Charles  River. 

3.  The  Fight  at  Concord  Bridge  (painted  by  Ed- 
ward Simmons) .  —  In  this  splendid  picture  the 
minute-men  are  hurrying  down  the  road  to  dis- 
lodge the  British,  who  may  be  seen  in  the  distance. 
The  atmosphere  of  the  painting  breathes  forth  the 
very  spirit  of  those  stirring  times. 

4.  The  Return  of  the  Colors.  —  In  this  is  to  be 
seen  the  event  that  occurred  at  the  State  House  on 
December  22,  1865,  when  the  flags  of  the  different 
regiments  that  served  in  the  Civil  War  were  re- 
stored to  the  custody  of  the  Commonwealth.  Gov- 
ernor Andrew  is  receiving  the  colors  from  the  hand 
of  Major-General  Darius  Couch. 

Passing  out  of  Memorial  Hall,  and  ascending  the 
main  staircase,  we  notice  a  stained-glass  window 
containing  reproductions  of  the  various  official 
seals  of  Massachusetts  from  1630  to  the  present 
day. 

On  the  third  floor,  west  wing,  are  the  executive 
departments,  the  first  of  which  is  the  Council 
Chamber.  In  keeping  with  the  general  Grecian 
plan  of  the  building,  it  is  in  the  Corinthian  style  of 
architecture.  _  The  decorations  of  the  wall  should 
not  escape  notice.  The  north  side  is  ornamented 
with  the  caduceus  and  cap  of  liberty,  representing 
peace  and  freedom ;  the  east  wall  by  a  golden  star, 


BOSTON  BASIN  109 

representing  Massachusetts,  one  of  the  thirteen 
states;  the  south  wall  by  the  scale  and  sword  of 
justice,  emblems  of  executive  power;  the  west  wall 
by  the  coat-of-arms.  Wreaths  of  oak  and  laurel 
complete  the  decorations.  Here  are  displayed  ten 
flags  representing  distinct  periods  in  the  history  of 
Massachusetts  and  the  United  States.  The  best 
description  of  these  is  found  in  the  excellent  Guide 
to  the  State  House,  compiled  by  Ellen  M.  Burrill. 

We  are  now  ready  to  take  up  the  second  part  of 
our  programme,  the  study  of  how  our  state  laws 
are  made.  For  this  purpose  we  first  enter  the  vis- 
itors' gallery  of  the  Senate  Chamber,  and  while  we 
are  waiting  for  the  General  Court  to  convene  (at 
two  o'clock)  we  take  a  look  at  the  room  and  its  dec- 
orations. The  galleries  are  formed  by  Doric  col- 
umns, surrounded  by  Doric  entablatures.  The 
four  flat  arches,  united  by  a  circular  cornice  above, 
form  in  the  angles  four  pendants  to  the  dome.  The 
latter  are  adorned  with  emblems  of  commerce,  ag- 
riculture, peace  and  war. 

Over  the  President's  chair  are  the  national  and 
state  flags,  a  gilded  eagle  like  the  one  on  the  old 
Beacon,  holding  in  its  beak  a  large  scroll  with  the 
inscription,  "God  Save  The  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts,"  and  upon  the  north  wall  are  the 
state  arms.  Hanging  on  the  opposite  wall  are  an 
old  King's-arm  musket,  captured  from  the  British 
by  Captain  John  Parker  at  Lexington  (the  first 
firearm  taken  from  the  enemy  in  that  war),  and  the 
gun  Parker  used  in  that  battle.    In  the  niches  are 


110  FIELD  LESSONS 

busts  of  the  following  men  in  the  order  named: 
Rev.  S.  F.  Smith,  Colonel  Gardiner  Tufts,  Ben- 
jamin Franklin,  Henry  Wilson,  Lincoln,  Washing- 
ton, Sumner,  Lafayette  and  George  S.  Boutwell. 
This  room  was  for  a  hundred  years  (1798-1895) 
the  House  of  Representatives. 

Before  the  Senate  convenes  the  different  steps  in 
the  passage  of  a  bill  into  a  law  should  be  clearly  un- 
derstood by  the  class.  The  bill  is  drawn  up  by  (we 
will  say)  one  of  the  senators.  Then  it  is  brought 
before  the  proper  Senate  committee,  reported 
favorably  upon,  printed  and  introduced  into  the 
Senate.  (Copies  of  the  calendar  of  the  day  may 
be  secured  from  the  proper  officials  in  advance.) 
The  bill  passes  its  first,  second  and  third  readings 
and  is  sent  to  the  House,  where  it  must  pass  three 
readings  before  being  engrossed  (written  out  by 
hand  on  parchment)  and  sent  to  the  Governor  for 
his  signature.  It  is  then  given  into  the  keeping 
of  the  Secretary  of  State,  who  files  it  away  among 
the  state  archives. 

After  spending  sufficient  time  in  the  Senate  to 
understand  the  method  of  transacting  business  we 
pass  along  the  west  corridor  to  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives, entering  the  visitors'  gallery.  The  room 
is  finished  in  white  mahogany,  the  entire  wall  being 
beautifully  panelled.  The  gallery  is  surmounted 
by  ten  Corinthian  pillars,  and  above  is  the  famous 
coved  ceiling.  The  coat-of-arms  and  names  of  the 
counties  are  wrought  in  the  glass,  and  upon  the 
frieze  are  the  names  of  fifty-three  noted  sons  of 


BOSTON  BASIN  111 

Massachusetts.  The  national  and  state  flags  are 
draped  over  the  Speaker's  chair;  at  the  right  is  the 
United  States  shield ;  at  the  left,  the  state  coat-of- 
arms.  Opposite  the  desk,  between  the  two  central 
columns,  is  suspended  the  historic  codfish,  emble- 
matic of  one  of  the  chief  industries  of  the  state. 
The  one  we  see  suspended  over  the  centre  of  the 
gallery  has  been  in  the  House  for  over  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  years,  and  takes  the  place  of  a 
still  older  one  which  used  to  hang  in  the  Old  State 
House  previous  to  1773. 

We  secure  copies  of  the  House  calendar  giving  the 
order  of  business  of  the  day,  and  our  representative 
will  be  glad  to  furnish  us  with  the  printed  lists  show- 
ing where  the  different  members  sit.  We  study 
the  method  of  procedure  in  the  House  as  we  did 
in  the  Senate,  and  then,  if  arrangements  have 
already  been  made,  or  can  now  be  made,  we  pass 
into  the  Governor's  room  to  shake  hands  with  His 
Excellency. 

From  here  we  go  into  the  Senate  reception-room 
(the  old  Senate  Chamber)  in  the  east  wing.  The 
state  arms  face  the  entrance,  and  on  the  walls  of 
the  room  (which  is  of  Ionic  design)  hang  portraits 
of  twenty  governors. 

Among  the  many  interesting  relics  found  on  the 
walls  of  the  old  Senate  Chamber  the  following  are 
worthy  of  special  notice:  A  musket  used  at  the 
battle  of  Concord,  April  19, 1775 ;  a  drum  beaten  at 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill;  a  Hessian  hat,  drum, 
sword  and  gun  captured  at  the  battle  of  Benning- 


112  FIELD  LESSONS 

ton,  and  presented  by  General  John  Stark ;  a  drum 
carried  by  the  6th  Massachusetts  Regiment  through 
the  streets  of  Baltimore,  April  19, 1861 ;  and  many 
flags,  the  most  famous  of  which  is  the  celebrated 
" Betsy  Ross"  flag. 

The  State  Library  is  found  at  the  north  end  of 
the  building  on  the  third  floor.  It  contains  nearly 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  books,  and  is 
the  second  largest  state  reference  library  in  the 
country.  Its  most  famous  volume  is  the  original 
"History  of  Plimouth  Plantation,"  in  the  hand- 
writing of  Governor  Bradford,  sent  to  the  Common- 
wealth in  1897  by  the  Bishop  of  London. 

If  time  permits  it  will  be  well  to  visit  some  of  the 
state  departments.  A  brief  directory  of  the  most 
important  rooms  is  given: 

Sub-Basement. 

Rooms  1-3.   District  Police,  Inspectors,  etc. 
Room  7.   State  Forester. 

Basement 

Room  15.    Civil  Service  Commission. 

Room  27.    G.  A.  R.  Department  of  Massachusetts. 

Room  30.   State  Board  of  Charity. 

First  Floor 

Room  111.   Adjutant-General. 
Room  124.   Bank  Commissioner. 


BOSTON  BASIN 

Room  131.  Harbor  and  Land  Commission. 

Room  136.  State  Board  of  Agriculture. 

Room  141.  State  Board  of  Health. 

Room  148.  Sergeant-at-Arms. 

Room  155.  Information  Room. 

Room  158.  Fish  and  Game  Commission. 

Second  Floor 

Room  225.  Attorney-General. 

Room  227.  Treasurer-  and  Receiver-General. 

Room  232.  Auditor  of  Accounts. 

Room  246.  Insurance  Commissioner. 

Room  256.  Bureau  of  Statistics  of  Labor. 

Room  264.  Adjutant-General. 

Third  Floor 

Room  331.   Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth. 
Room  341.   Post-Office. 

Glerk  of  the  House. 


113 


Fourth  Floor 

Rooms  425  to  431.    Committee  rooms. 
Room  434.    State  Archives. 
Room  443.    Reporters. 


Fifth  Floor 

Rooms  501  and  502.   State  Board  of  Health  Lab- 
oratories. 
Room  505.    Committee  on  Fish  and  Game. 
South  end  of  fifth  floor,  entrance  to  dome. 


114  FIELD  LESSONS 

These  departments  are  outside  the  State  House : 
Boston  Transit  Commission,  15  Beacon  Street. 
Metropolitan  Park  Commission,  14  Beacon  Street. 
Charles  River  Basin  Commission,  367Boylston  Street. 
State  Board  of  Education,  Ford  Building. 
Gas  Commission,  Ford  Building. 
Massachusetts  Highway  Commission,  Ford  Building. 
Railroad  Commissioners,  20  Beacon  Street. 


CHAPTER  VII 
OPTIONAL  FIELD  LESSONS 

NO.   1.  — GRADES  V  TO  VIII 

Middlesex  Fells  Reservation 

(Reached  from  Sullivan  Square  terminal.  Twenty 'five 
minutes.     Fare,  5  cents  from  city  or  suburbs.) 

THE  route  newly  opened  by  the  Boston  Ele- 
vated takes  us  through  Charlestown  along  the 
level  flood-plain  of  the  Mystic  River  by  numerous 
drumlins  to  Medford,  where  after  crossing  the 
Mystic  we  ascend  the  edge  of  the  Boston  Basin. 
We  pass  to  the  east  of  Pine  Hill  (240  feet  high)  along 
the  valley  of  Intervale  Brook,  by  Wright's  Pond, 
and  alight  near  Porter's  Cove,  at  the  southwest 
end  of  Spot  Pond.  The  region  is  one  of  exceptional 
beauty,  especially  if  the  field  trip  is  taken  in  spring 
when  the  flowers  are  in  bloom,  or  better  still,  in  the 
autumn,  when  the  leaves  are  in  all  the  glory  of  their 
fall  foliage. 

Our  objective  point  is  Bear  Hill  Observatory  on 
the  northern  border  of  the  reservation;  and  we 
may  enjoy  the  beautiful  walk  along  Forest  Street 
to  Dark  Hollow  Pond,  where  we  turn  to  the  left, 
then  follow  the  first  turn  to  the  right  along  Dark 


116  FIELD  LESSONS 

Hollow,  by  Winthrop  Hill  (named  for  the  Puritan 
governor)  to  Bear  Hill. 

This  is  the  highest  elevation  in  the  Fells,  and 
commands  a  view  not  to  be  surpassed  in  eastern 
Massachusetts  except  from  the  top  of  Great  Blue 
Hill  on  the  south.  The  observatory  was  erected 
years  ago  by  the  Appalachian  Club,  and  while 
closed  by  boards  around  the  base,  is  still  freely  used 
by  visitors  to  this  enchanting  spot.  Young  pupils 
should  not  be  taken  up,  however,  as  the  railing  is 
not  sufficiently  safe  to  assure  one  against  accidents 
of  a  serious  character. 

The  view  from  the  top  is  a  splendid  one,  espe- 
cially on  a  clear  day,  and  embraces  a  broad  extent 
of  territory.  To  the  north,  at  our  feet,  lies  Stone- 
ham;  northeast  is  Reading;  and  away  on  the 
horizon  is  the  Danvers  Insane  Asylum,  among  the 
distant  hills.  Turning  to  the  east  we  see  the  spires 
and  factory  chimneys  of  Lynn,  backed  by  the 
blue  of  the  open  ocean  at  Nahant  and  beyond. 
Southeast,  across  the  flashing  waters  of  Spot  Pond, 
are  the  hills  of  Chelsea  and  East  Boston,  with  the 
island-dotted  harbor  in  the  background.  Bunker 
Hill  Monument,  the  gilded  dome  of  the  State  House, 
and  on  a  clear  day  Boston  Light,  are  plainly  visible. 

South  of  us  stretches  the  broad  expanse  of  the 
Fells,  crowned  with  numerous  hills  and  dotted  with 
a  dozen  ponds.  At  the  foot  of  the  plateau  lie  Mai- 
den and  Medford,  the  valleys  of  the  Mystic  and  the 
Charles,  with  their  densely  populated  flood-plains, 
and  the  Boston  Basin  stretching  away  to  the  south, 


BOSTON  BASIN  117 

where  it  is  bounded  by  the  lofty  Blue  Hills,  with 
the  observatory  on  Great  Blue  in  plain  view. 

Just  below  us  to  the  west  is  North  Reservoir 
with  its  forest-clad  shores,  across  which  rise  the 
hills  of  Arlington  and  Arlington  Heights.  South- 
west lies  the  South  Reservoir,  and  Winchester 
on  the  upland  hills,  backed  by  the  summits  of 
Wellesley  Hills.  On  the  west  and  northwest  Win- 
chester and  Woburn,  and  in  the  far  distance  the 
blue  dome  of  Mount  Wachusett,  and  even  Monad- 
nock,  seventy  miles  away  in  New  Hampshire,  are 
visible  on  a  clear  day. 

From  this  point  of  vantage  may  be  taught  a 
graphic  lesson  on  the  formation  and  topography  of 
the  Boston  Basin,  the  surrounding  upland  or  pene- 
plain, and  the  monadnocks  that  rise  above  its 
surface,  bearing  witness  to  the  great  resistance  of 
these  granite  hills.  This  should  be  the  main 
object  of  the  trip;  though  a  wise  teacher  will 
take  the  opportunity  to  point  out  many  other 
features  on  the  way,  —  geological,  botanical  and 
ornithological. 

On  our  return  we  may  take  the  footpath  at  the 
base  of  the  hill  and  so  come  back  by  way  of  the 
North  and  Middle  Reservoirs,  a  route  that  is  even 
more  charming  than  the  one  by  which  we  came, 
though  slightly  longer.  It  will  take  us  by  Wana- 
panaquin  Hill  between  the  two  reservoirs,  across 
Great  Neck,  and  along  Hannah  Shiner  Ledge. 
The  latter  was  named  for  the  last  of  the  Indians 
who  lived  here.    Bearing  to  the  left  we  pass  around 


118  FIELD  LESSONS 

the  base  of  Gerry  Hill  and  along  Brooks  Road  to 
Porter's  Cove,  where  we  take  the  electric  car  for 
Boston. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  this  reservation  is 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  country,  covering  an  area 
of  twenty-seven  hundred  acres,  and  containing  the 
water  supply  of  Melrose,  Maiden  and  Winchester. 
The  tract  has  been  preserved  in  its  pristine  wild- 
ness,  and  now  that  the  cars  run  through  it  thousands 
of  the  lovers  of  Nature  visit  it  constantly.  Such 
names  as  Bear  Hill  Den,  Panther  Cave,  Deer  Hill, 
etc.,  remind  us  of  the  times  when  its  fastnesses 
were  inhabited  by  wild  animals ;  and  many  Indian 
names  and  legends  are  preserved  in  such  desig- 
nations as  Squaw  Sachem  Rock,  Indian  Spring, 
Wenepoykin  Hill,  Wamoset  Hill,  and  Nanepashemet 
Hill. 

NO.   2.  — GRADES  IV  TO  VIII 

Franklin  Park 

Franklin  Park,  named  after  the  famous  Revo- 
lutionary and  Colonial  patriot,  is  the  largest  park 
within  the  limits  of  the  city.  It  contains  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty-seven  acres,  and  is  connected  by 
a  beautiful  driveway  with  the  celebrated  Arnold 
Arboretum  on  the  west  and  by  Columbia  Road 
with  Marine  Park  at  South  Boston  on  the  north- 
east. 

It  lies  between  Roxbury,  Dorchester,  Jamaica 
Plain  and  Forest  Hills,  and  is  easily  accessible  by 


BOSTON  BASIN  119 

electric  cars  from  any  part  of  the  city.  Situated 
in  the  great  central  conglomerate  belt  of  the  Boston 
Basin,  the  outcrops  are  all  of  this  kind  of  rock,  and 
many  interesting  ledges  of  pudding-stone  may  be 
studied  in  the  park.  Most  of  the  land  has  an  ele- 
vation of  eighty  to  one  hundred  feet  above  the  sea, 
and  the  higher  eminences  rise  to  a  height  of  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  to  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet.  In- 
terspersed with  numerous  ponds  and  dotted  with 
beautiful  shade  trees,  the  park  presents  an  in- 
teresting study  for  a  field  trip. 

In  several  places  faults  and  dykes  are  to  be  found, 
as  at  the  northern  corner  in  Jamaica  Plain,  where 
the  carriage  road  has  been  cut  through  the  con- 
glomerate, giving  several  fine  exposures  of  fault- 
ing. The  stone  shows  a  considerable  variety  in 
texture,  in  some  localities  containing  very  large 
stones,  and  in  others  only  small  pebbles  and  sand. 
In  those  outcrops  that  have  long  been  exposed  to 
weathering  the  disintegration  has  reduced  the  rock 
to  soil ;  often  the  pebbles  have  been  loosened  from 
the  enclosing  matrix  of  volcanic  lava  and  have 
fallen  out.  The  wave- worn  character  of  the  peb- 
bles and  stones  is  clearly  seen,  showing  that  they 
were  on  an  old  beach  when  the  lava  flowed  down 
over  them  and  cemented  them  into  the  present  con- 
glomerate. Specimens  of  both  the  coarse  and  finer 
varieties  should  be  taken  for  the  school  cabinet; 
and  the  granitic  character  of  the  enclosed  pebbles 
should  be  made  a  subject  for  further  study. 

An  unusual  opportunity  is  offered  here  for  the 


120  FIELD  LESSONS 

study  of  trees  and  shrubs.  Some  mention  should 
be  made  of  the  interest  the  city  takes  in  its  children 
in  giving  them  this  splendid  playground  and  in 
maintaining  it  for  them  at  great  expense.  The 
fight  it  has  to  wage  against  the  gypsy  and  brown- 
tail  moths;  the  maintenance  of  the  golf  links, 
tennis  courts  and  ball-grounds ;  the  lighting  of  this 
great  area  at  night ;  the  band  concerts  and  fireworks 
given  absolutely  free;  the  presence  of  the  Metro- 
politan Park  policemen  to  make  it  safe  for  boys 
and  girls  to  play  without  the  guardianship  of  their 
parents;  the  establishment  of  the  out-door  school 
for  weak-lunged  children,  —  all  should  be  dwelt 
upon,  and  made  the  basis  of  a  lesson  in  civics.  Our 
duty  in  return  for  all  the  city  so  freely  gives  — 
merely  to  behave  ourselves  and  obey  the  simple 
rules  laid  down  by  the  Park  Commission  —  should 
be  emphasized. 

NO.   3.  — GRADES  IV  TO  VIII 

Codman  Hill,  Dorchester 

(Reached  from  Boston  via  the  tunnel  and  Dudley  Street, 
where  a  car  for  Milton  via  Washington  Street,  Dorchester, 
is  taken,  or  from  the  North  Station  or  Franklin  Street  via 
Dorchester  Avenue,  a  forty-minute  trip  by  either  route.) 

Codman  Hill  is  a  double  drumlin,  one  hundred  and 
forty  feet  above  sea-level,  rising  gradually  from  the 
north,  and  dipping  sharply  towards  the  south, 
descending  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  a  few 
rods.    Its  general  direction  is  from  northeast  to 


BOSTON  BASIN  121 

southwest.  It  commands  a  good  view  of  the  Blue 
Hills  in  Milton  to  the  south  and  of  the  Quincy 
quarries  to  the  southeast.  Brook  basins  are  well 
illustrated  here,  and  the  valley  of  the  Neponset 
may  be  traced  for  some  distance. 

We  ascend  the  southern  end  of  the  hill,  on  our 
way  up  noting  the  action  of  rimning  water  in  gully- 
ing ditches,  carrying  away  the  soil  and  finer  till, 
and  leaving  the  larger  stones  in  the  bed  of  the 
rivulet.  The  unassorted  character  of  glacial  drift 
is  well  illustrated,  and  glacial  scratches  may  be 
noted  on  the  rounded  blue  slate  stones  by  the 
roadside.  One  or  two  specimens  of  these  should  be 
taken  for  the  school  cabinet. 

Part  way  up  the  hill,  on  the  left,  we  go  through  a 
gate  to  study  an  old  brook  basin.  This  is  the  valley 
of  a  former  brook,  now  extinct  except  during  the 
rainy  weather.  This  was  evidently  once  a  consid- 
erable stream,  which  has  disappeared,  either  in  con- 
sequence of  the  cutting  away  of  the  forests,  or  more 
probably  from  the  diversion  of  the  Neponset  or 
one  of  its  branches  by  glacial  action.  The  evidences 
of  the  action  of  running  water  are  very  plain  as  one 
stands  at  this  elevation  and  looks  down  into  the 
little  valley. 

Milton  Lower  Mills,  nestled  in  the  narrow  flood- 
plain  of  the  Neponset  between  Codman  and  Milton 
Hills,  lies  at  our  feet.  To  the  east  the  valley  of  the 
river  opens  into  a  tidal  estuary  between  Neponset 
and  North  Quincy,  where  it  empties  into  Dor- 
chester Bay. 


122  FIELD  LESSONS 

Ascending  the  hill  farther,  we  turn  to  the  right 
and  follow  a  path  that  leads  us  to  the  summit. 
Here  we  get  an  extensive  view  of  the  hilly  western 
border  of  the  Boston  Basin,  the  upland  rising  in  a 
series  of  rounded  hills  from  two  hundred  to  three 
hundred  feet  high.  To  the  south  are  the  Milton 
Hills,  and  in  the  southern  background  rise  the  Blue 
Hills.  The  highest  one  to  the  right  is  Great  Blue, 
crowned  with  the  observatory.  It  rises  to  a  height 
of  635  feet,  and  is  the  loftiest  elevation  in  this  part 
of  the  state.  Then  to  the  east  come  in  succession 
Wolcott,  470  feet,  Hemenway,  480  feet,  Tucker, 
450  feet,  Buck,  500  feet,  Chicatawbut,  524  feet, 
with  Nahandon  and  Kitchamakin  close  by;  and 
near  the  Quincy  granite  quarries  Fox  Hill,  Wam- 
patuck  and  Rattlesnake  Hill.  The  three  most 
conspicuous  are  Great  Blue,  Chicatawbut  and 
Nahanton. 

These  are  monadnocks,  remnants  of  a  very  old 
and  once  very  lofty  range  of  mountains.  Professor 
Davis  estimates  that  these  once  rivalled  the  Rock- 
ies and  Andes  in  height,  lifting  their  peaks,  cov- 
ered with  eternal  snow,  into  the  very  clouds.  Now 
only  their  roots  remain;  so  that  the  hills  we  are 
looking  at  are  among  the  very  oldest  in  the  world. 
They  are  composed  of  the  hardest  kind  of  granite, 
and  so  are  valuable  as  quarries  for  building-stone. 

The  tall  derricks  of  the  Milton  and  Quincy 
quarries  may  be  seen  along  the  sky-line,  with  the 
houses  in  Quincy  dotting  the  hillsides.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  the  state  has  made  a  great  park 


BOSTON  BASIN  123 

of  the  Blue  Hills,  and  those  of  our  pupils  who  have 
not  already  visited  the  observatory  will  wish  to 
do  so  after  this  field  lesson. 

By  aid  of  compass  or  map  we  note  the  general 
direction  of  Codman  Hill,  —  northeast  to  southwest 
along  its  greater  axis.  The  evenly-curving  top, 
characteristic  of  drumlins,  is  seen  to  good  advan- 
tage from  the  persimmon  tree  midway  between  the 
road  and  the  stone  wall. 

Historically  this  locality  is  the  most  ancient  part 
of  Boston.  At  our  feet  the  Neponset  Indians  had 
their  village,  and  here,  in  the  summer  of  1614, 
came  the  redoubtable  Captain  John  Smith  on  his 
voyage  of  exploration  and  barter.  We  can  imagine 
him,  with  his  boat-crew  of  eight  men,  rowing  up  the 
quiet  Neponset,  meeting  and  making  friends  with 
the  Indian  sachems,  and  exchanging  beads  and 
other  trinkets  for  furs  and  maize. 

Seven  years  later  (1621)  Governor  Winslow, 
with  ten  men  and  the  Indian  chief  Tisquanto,  or 
Squantum,  landed  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  and 
marched  by  our  point  of  observation.  "On  the 
banks  of  the  river,  at  the  head  of  tide-water,  they 
found  the  deserted  residence  of  the  deceased 
sachem  Nanepashemet,  his  grave,  and  a  palisaded 
fort  —  soon  after,  newly-gathered  corn,  and  shortly 
the  women  of  the  tribe,  the  men  being  absent  hunt- 
ing and  fishing.  The  women  entertained  them 
with  boiled  cod  and  parched  corn,  and  traded  with 
them,  exchanging  what  furs  they  had  for  other 
articles.    They  engaged  the  Indians  to  plant  extra 


124  FIELD  LESSONS 

corn  the  next  spring,  promising  to  be  their  pur- 
chasers the  following  year.  They  returned  to 
Plymouth  after  an  absence  of  four  days,  with  a 
consid  rable  quantity  of  beavers,  and  a  good  re- 
port of  the  place,  wishing  they  had  been  seated 
there."    (History  of  Dorchester,  pp.  5-6.) 

In  1646  we  find  here  the  Apostle  to  the  Indians, 
Rev.  John  Eliot,  preaching  to  the  remnant  of  the 
Neponset  tribe,  and  continuing  his  ministry  until 
after  their  removal  to  Ponkapog,  on  the  southern 
slope  of  the  Blue  Hills,  ten  years  later. 

NO.   4.  — GRADE  VIII 

INDUSTRIES 

Quincy  Granite  Quarries 

(West  Quincy  quarries  at  the  West  Quincy  station. 
Reached  from  South  Station.  Train  leaves  and  returns  once 
an  hour.  Fare,  15  cents,  twenty-five  rides  for  $2.25.  By 
electric  cars  via  Dudley  Street  transfer  station  and  Quincy 
car.  Fare,  10  cents.  One  and  one-half  hours  from  Winter 
Street.) 

The  Quincy  granite  quarries  are  the  best  place 
near  Boston  to  study  the  industry  of  mining  or 
quarrying.  They  are  easily  accessible,  though  the 
trip  is  longer  than  most  of  those  on  the  list,  and 
should  not  be  taken  by  the  younger  pupils.  Some 
previous  study  of  the  subject  is  necessary  in  order 
to  get  the  best  results. 

The  quarries  rise  directly  west  of  the  depot  to  a 
height  of  two  hundred  feet  above  sea  level.    The 


BOSTON  BASIN  125 

stone  is  syenite,  a  very  durable  kind  of  granite. 
Granite  is  composed  of  quartz,  feldspar  and  mica; 
in  syenite  the  mica  is  replaced  by  hornblende, 
which  gives  the  stone  its  dark  color.  In  the  Quincy 
syenite  the  quartz  is  lacking,  the  two  constituents 
being  orthoclase  (a  potash  feldspar  with  two  cleav- 
ages at  right  angles  to  each  other)  and  hornblende. 
It  is  a  fine-grained,  crystalline,  igneous  rock,  very 
hard  and  taking  a  high  polish.  It  is  very  durable. 
Most  of  the  stone  here  quarried  is  made  into  monu- 
ments and  tombstones,  and  the  darker  the  stone 
the  more  valuable  it  is.  The  dark  veins  are  as  a 
rule  found  deep  below  the  surface. 

In  places  the  syenite  has  been  quarried  to  a  depth 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  or  fifty  feet  below 
sea  level.  Not  only  may  the  pupils  see  the  process 
of  quarrying  being  carried  on  here,  but  the  cutting 
and  polishing  of  the  stone  as  well. 

After  leaving  the  station  take  the  railroad  track 
that  ascends  to  the  south  and  follow  it  to  the  quarry. 
Here  we  may  see  the  men  at  work  drilling  for  the 
blast,  and  if  we  stay  awhile  may  see  the  charge 
exploded.  Then  we  may  watch  the  dressing  of  the 
stone  and  see  it  loaded  upon  the  cars  and  taken  to 
the  sheds  for  polishing.  A  few  specimens  for  the 
cabinet  should  be  secured. 


126  FIELD  LESSONS 

NO.   5.  — GRADES  VII-VIII 
EAST  BOSTON 

Historical  —  Commercial 

For  two  centuries  East  Boston  was  known  as 
Noddle  Island,  from  William  Noddle,  who  settled 
here  in  1629.  Shortly  afterward,  Samuel  Maverick, 
Gent.,  erected  on  the  west  side  of  the  island  a  small 
fortified  mansion,  with  artillery  to  defend  it,  and 
was  in  comfortable  possession  and  authority  long 
before  Winthrop's  fleet  entered  the  bay.  "The 
Puritans,"  says  Sweetser,  "allowed  Maverick  to 
remain  here  on  payment  yearly  of  ( A  fatt  weather, 
a  fatt  hogg,  or  XLs.  in  money';  he  was  an  Epis- 
copalian and  a  Royalist,  and  met  with  annoying 
persecutions  from  the  Boston  authorities.  Mav- 
erick was  the  first  New  England  slaveholder,  when 
Captain  Pierce  brought  negroes  hither  from  the 
Tortugas,  in  1638,  and  sold  them  in  Boston." 

Here  was  fought  the  second  battle  of  the  Revo- 
lution. "On  May  27,  1775,  General  Stark  and 
three  hundred  men  were  sent  to  clear  out  the  live- 
stock on  Noddle's  Island;  and  after  they  had 
driven  four  hundred  sheep  inland  from  Breed's 
Island,  they  engaged  the  British  marines  on  Nod- 
dle's, but  were  driven  back  when  large  reinforce- 
ments of  regulars  crossed  from  Boston.  In  the 
meantime  General  Gage  had  sent  a  schooner  armed 
with  sixteen  small  guns,  and  eleven  barges  full  of 


BOSTON  BASIN  127 

marines  up  Chelsea  Creek  to  cut  off  the  raiders, 
while  Putnam  came  to  their  relief  with  three  hun- 
dred men  and  two  guns.  The  fight  lasted  all  night. 
But,  although  fresh  troops  poured  over  from  Bos- 
ton, the  Americans  forced  the  crew  of  the  schooner 
to  abandon  her  and  flee,  and  drove  back  the  other 
vessels.  They  took  the  artillery  from  the  captured 
vessel,  and  then  burned  her." 

The  fortifications  were  strengthened  in  1812, 
but  were  allowed  to  fall  into  decay  after  the  war 
was  over,  and  in  1833  the  barracks  were  removed. 
A  duel,  fought  here  in  1819,  resulted  in  the  death 
of  Lieutenant  White.  Some  of  the  finest  ships 
ever  built  were  launched  from  East  Boston  wharves. 
The  Flying  Cloud,  seventeen  hundred  tons,  made 
the  trip  to  San  Francisco  in  eighty-nine  days, 
the  quickest  ever  made  by  a  sailing-vessel.  The 
Great  Republic  was  the  largest  wooden  sailing- 
ship  ever  launched. 

NO.   6.  — GRADE  VI 

WOOD  ISLAND  PARK,  EAST   BOSTON 

Shore  Features 

(Wood  Island  Park  is  reached  by  the  East  Boston  Tunnel. 
Take  an  Orient  Heights  or  Shelby  Street  car  and  get  off  at 
Prescott  Street.  An  eight-minute  walk  to  the  south  will 
bring  you  to  the  park,  which  is  no  longer  on  an  island,  as  arti- 
ficially made  land  has  now  turned  it  into  a  peninsula.) 

This  is  an  excellent  place  to  study  the  simpler 
shore  forms.    Between  two  low  elevations  running 


128  FIELD  LESSONS 

north  and  south  a  broad  level  space  has  been  made 
into  one  of  the  best  playgrounds  in  the  city,  amply 
provided  with  all  kinds  of  out-of-door  apparatus, 
such  as  ladders,  swings,  flying  rings,  running 
tracks,  baseball  diamonds,  tennis  courts,  etc. 
Shade  trees  of  many  kinds,  benches  and  a  roofed 
pavilion  make  it  an  ideal  place  for  a  school  picnic, 
and  a  Saturday  forenoon  may  be  most  delightfully 
and  profitably  spent  here  in  study  and  play  by 
teacher  and  pupils.  A  physical  instructor  is  al- 
ways in  charge,  and  the  best  of  order  is  invariably 
maintained. 

A  walk  along  the  pleasant  seashore  road  will 
enable  the  teacher  to  point  out  to  her  pupils  the 
tidal  flats  which  here  extend  far  to  the  south  and 
east.  Breed's  Hill,  a  typical  drumlin  as  yet  practi- 
cally intact,  is  in  plain  sight  to  the  northeast. 
The  Winthrop  shore  stretches  along  the  east  a  mile 
away;  Apple  Island  and  Governor's  Island  are  a 
mile  and  a  half  to  the  southeast,  and  Fort  Inde- 
pendence looms  up  two  and  a  half  miles  to  the 
south.  Deer  Island  and  Point  Shirley  are  in  plain 
view,  so  that  Wood  Island  is  one  of  the  best  places 
about  Boston  for  the  study  of  the  islands  of  the 
harbor. 

Arriving  at  the  southeastern  end  of  the  peninsula 
after  a  five  minutes'  walk  we  find  plentiful  evi- 
dence of  the  action  of  waves  and  tides  upon  the 
soft  glacial  till  of  which  the  island  was  composed. 
Here  the  shore  has  been  worn  back  towards  the 
west  for  a  long  distance,  the  boulders  stretching 


BOSTON  BASIN  129 

out  into  the  water  (best  seen  at  low  tide),  being  a 
mute  witness  to  the  former  extent  of  the  land.  The 
line  between  the  unassorted  glacial  soil  where  the 
waves  have  not  yet  cut  away  the  land,  and  the 
well  assorted  sand,  fine  gravel,  coarser  gravel,  peb- 
bles, stones  and  boulders  is  very  clearly  defined. 
Attention  should  be  called  to  the  growth  of  seaweed 
at  the  mean  water  level,  and  explanation  made  of 
how  nature  in  this  way  protects  the  rocks  from 
further  destruction  by  the  sea.  The  formation  of 
flats  and  tidal  marshes  are  well  exemplified  here. 

NO.  7.  — GRADE  VII 

Historic  Squantum 

The  name  "Squantum7'  was  probably  derived 
from  Tisquanto,  the  Indian  chief  who  first  be- 
friended the  Pilgrims.  The  place  consists  of  two 
drumlins  and  the  waste  derived  from  them  and 
washed  up  by  the  tides,  forming  a  broad  peninsula 
which  separates  Dorchester  Bay  from  Quincy  Bay. 

It  was  formerly  the  capital  of  the  Massachusetts 
tribe  of  Indians,  whose  sway  extended  from  here  to 
Nashua,  N.  H.,  and  to  the  Narragansetts  on  the 
south.  Once  the  tribe  could  muster  three  thousand 
warriors;  but  the  great  pestilence  of  1613  almost 
annihilated  them,  and  thus  rendered  the  first  white 
settlers  comparatively  safe  from  attack.  Chica- 
tawbut,  their  sachem,  welcomed  Winthrop  and  the 
Boston  colonists  with  stately  courtesy,  and  gave 
them  many  valuable  presents.    "He  sought  them 


130  FIELD  LESSONS 

out,  at  the  shabby  village  on  Shawmut,"  says 
Sweetser,  "  coming  up  in  some  state,  with  his 
chiefs  and  women,  and  sitting  at  Winthrop's  own 
tabled 

There  is  a  tradition  that  in  1669  he  gathered  an 
army  of  seven  hundred  warriors,  marched  west- 
ward across  the  colony  to  the  Hudson  River,  and 
besieged  the  great  tribal  fortress  of  his  hereditary 
enemies,  the  Mohawks.  The  attack  was  unsuccess- 
ful, and  the  Massachusetts  retreated  rapidly  towards 
Stockbridge.  But  the  fierce  Mohawks  snared  them 
in  an  ambush  among  the  Berkshire  Hills,  and  de- 
stroyed nearly  the  entire  band  after  a  long  and  piti- 
less battle.  The  chieftain  and  fifty-eight  of  his 
sagamores  were  slain  on  the  field,  and  the  green 
plains  of  Squantum  knew  them  no  more.  Their 
broad  corn-fields  were  occupied  by  the  immigrating 
Puritans.  The  feeble  remnant  of  the  tribe  came 
under  the  government  of  Chicatawbut's  brother, 
Cutshamequin,  who  led  it  up  the  Neponset  valley, 
whence  the  Apostle  Eliot  induced  them  to  go  to 
Ponkapog,  on  the  western  slope  of  the  Blue  Hills. 
Here  they  slowly  faded  away,  and  the  last  pure- 
blooded  Massachusetts  Indian  died  in  the  last 
century. 

In  the  fall  of  1621  the  Plymouth  Pilgrims  became 
curious  about  the  Massachusetts,  and  ordered  Miles 
Standish  "to  goe  amongst  them;  partly  to  see  the 
countrey,  partly  to  make  peace  with  them,  and 
partly  to  procure  their  trucke."  Standish,  with 
nine  men  and  Tisquanto  as  interpreter  sailed  round 


BOSTON  BASIN  131 

Point  Allerton  and  landed  at  Squantum.  He  per- 
suaded the  sachem  to  acknowledge  the  authority 
of  England,  and  surveyed  the  surrounding  country 
pretty  thoroughly. 

Here,  as  well  as  in  Florida,  was  supposed  to  be  a 
remarkable  fountain.  "Over  at  Squanto's  chapel 
yonder,"  says  Morton  (he  of  Merry-Mount),  "is  a 
fountain  of  a  most  remarkable  power ;  for  its  waters 
cause  a  deep  sleep  of  forty-eight  hours  to  those  who 
drink  forty-eight  ounces  at  a  draught,  and  so  on 
proportionately." 

Just  north  of  Squantum  lived  Sir  Christopher, 
concerning  whom  see  Longfellow's  poem.  Morton 
says  that,  during  his  government  of  Merry-Mount, 
"  sir  Christopher  Gardiner  (a  knight,  that  had  been 
a  traveller,  both  by  Sea  and  Land;  a  good  judi- 
cious gentleman  in  the  Mathematticks,  and  other 
Sciences  usefull  for  Plantations,  Kimistry,  &c  and 
also  being  a  practicall  Engineer)  came  into  those 
parts,  intending  discovery."  John  Lothrop  Motley 
has  written  a  most  interesting  romance,  "Merry- 
Mount,"  dealing  with  the  same  quaint  character. 

Thompson,  for  whom  the  island  that  bears  his 
name  was  called,  was  the  first  white  owner  of 
Squantum.  It  was  afterwards  owned  by  Roger 
Ludlow,  "a  pious  gentleman  of  good  family." 
Later  John  Glover  established  a  tannery  here,  and 
had  large  herds  of  cattle  grazing  upon  the  hills. 
The  rocky  pile  of  Musquantum  Chapel  (whose  pro- 
jecting ledges  form  a  remarkable  profile  of  the 
human  face)  was  a  favorite  landmark  in  very  early 


132  FIELD  LESSONS 

times.  Here  were  held  the  Pilgrim  Feasts  of 
Squantum,  celebrated  late  in  August  of  each  year 
in  honor  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers.  These  were  con- 
tinued until  within  a  comparatively  recent  date. 
The  level  flood-plain  to  the  west  of  Squantum 
Head  is  now  used  as  an  aviation  field.  Its  first 
international  meet  was  held  here  Sept.  3-15, 1910. 
The  broad  extent  of  level,  grassy  land  and  the 
nearness  to  the  sea  render  it  an  ideal  place  for 
this  purpose. 

NO.   8.  — GRADES   VII-VIII 

Historic  Medford 

(Scollay  Square  to  Medford  Square,  five  and  a  half  miles. 
Fare  5  cents.  The  route  is  by  way  of  Charlestown  (via  Main 
Street),  Broadway,  Somervnle,  over  Winter  Hill  to  Med- 
ford Square.) 

Alighting  from  the  car  at  George  Street,  we  first 
view  the  Royall  mansion-house,  a  splendid  exam- 
ple of  Provincial  architecture.  It  was  built  in  1738 
by  Colonel  Royall,  who  moved  here  from  Antigua, 
one  of  the  West  India  islands,  and  who  brought 
with  him  some  twenty-five  slaves,  for  whose  ac- 
commodation he  built  the  brick  structure  near  the 
porch  on  the  south  side.  The  interior  of  the  house 
shows  some  of  the  best  examples  of  Colonial  pan- 
elling to  be  found  in  New  England.  For  further 
facts  concerning  this  famous  old  house  and  its  dis- 
tinguished owners  see  Bacon,  pp.  87-90. 

Not  far  from  Medford  Square  is  the  old  Garrison 


BOSTON  BASIN  133 

house,  in  Pasture-Hill  lane.  It  was  the  third  house 
erected  in  the  plantation,  having  been  built  some 
time  before  1640,  as  a  fort  and  dwelling-house,  by- 
Major  Jonathan  Wade.  In  the  older  part  may  still 
be  seen  the  " port-holes"  piercing  the  strong  bricks. 
We  now  take  the  car  to  East  Medford,  or  we  may 
walk  the  distance  via  Riverside  Avenue,  to  see  the 
famous  Cradock  house,  the  oldest  one  in  the 
United  States  which  still  stands  as  it  was  originally 
built.  It  was  erected  in  1634,  and,  like  the  Gar- 
rison house,  was  designed  not  only  as  a  dwelling 
but  as  a  fort  as  well.  The  walls  are  a  foot  and  a 
half  thick,  and  the  massive  beams  are  of  oak  hewn 
out  by  hand.  The  lookout  in  the  rear  wall  of  the 
chimney,  the  port-holes  and  window  shutters,  and 
the  heavy  door  encased  in  iron  recall  vividly  the 
days  when  wild  beasts  and  prowling  Indians  were 
an  ever-present  danger.  The  house  should  be  thor- 
oughly studied  and  a  good  guide-book  like  that  of 
Drake  or  Bacon  taken  along. 

NO.  9.  — GRADES  VII-VIII 

Historic  Somerville 

The  drumlins  rising  above  the  level  floor  of  the 
Boston  Basin  in  Somerville  formed  a  natural  series 
of  heights  overlooking  Boston,  and  Washington 
here  began  that  series  of  ramparts  and  forts  which 
slowly  but  surely  encircled  the  city  and  finally 
drove  out  the  investing  army  when  he  mounted  his 
cannon  on  the  height  at  South  Boston. 


134  FIELD  LESSONS 

The  strongest  of  these  forts  was  that  erected  on 
Prospect  Hill,  where  our  historical  trip  will  begin. 
The  tablet  at  the  base  of  the  handsome  observatory 
tells  us  that  here,  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of 
our  country,  was  unfolded  the  starry  banner  under 
which  our  forefathers  fought  during  the  remainder 
of  the  Revolution,  and  which  still  stands  for  the 
best  that  mankind  has  found  in  the  way  of  a  free 
government.  If  for  no  other  reason  than  this  the 
class  ought  to  visit  this  historic  spot,  and  review 
here  the  scene  enacted  on  New  Year's  Day,  1776. 

Prospect  Hill  also  commemorates  the  names  of 
General  Israel  Putnam,  "Old  Put/'  who  made  the 
hill  his  headquarters  after  the  retreat  from  Bunker 
Hill;  and  of  General  Nathaniel  Greene,  who  for  a 
time  held  command  of  the  redoubt.  After  the  sur- 
render of  Burgoyne  at  Saratoga  a  part  of  his  army 
was  marched  to  Somerville  —  then  included  within 
the  limits  of  Charlestown  —  and  kept  under  guard 
on  the  summit  of  this  hill. 

An  interesting  tablet  on  the  south  side  of  Pros- 
pect Hill  (opposite  Rossmore  Street)  records  how 
James  Miller,  an  aged  minute-man,  was  killed 
here  by  British  soldiers  on  the  retreat  from  Lex- 
ington. He  and  a  companion  were  stationed  behind 
a  stone  wall  that  formerly  stood  at  this  spot,  and 
were  firing  at  the  retreating  soldiers.  A  flanking 
party  came  up  in  the  rear,  and  Miller's  companion 
urged  him  to  flee.  "I  am  too  old  to  run,"  he  an- 
swered, and  remained  firing  until  he  fell,  pierced 
by  a  dozen  balls. 


BOSTON  BASIN  135 

Central  Hill  marks  the  site  of  another  part  of  the 
chain  of  forts.  We  read  on  the  tablet  built  into 
the  wall  of  the  small  redoubt  which  the  city  has 
erected  here:  "This  battery  was  erected  by  the 
city  in  1885  and  is  within  the  lines  of  the  '  French 
Redoubt/  which  was  thrown  up  by  the  American 
troops  under  General  Israel  Putnam,  immediately 
after  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill ;  and  later  became 
a  part  of  the  besieging  lines  of  Boston  in  1775-76." 

On  Winter  Hill  was  a  third  fort,  with  the  "Star 
Fort/'  connecting  it  with  the  Central  Hill  redoubt. 
Practically  every  hill  about  Boston  was  similarly 
fortified. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  Revolutionary  land- 
marks in  Somerville  is  the  house  used  by  General 
Charles  Lee,  Washington's  second  in  command, 
during  the  siege  of  1775-1776.  It  is  within  easy 
walk  from  the  little  redoubt  on  Central  Hill,  and  it 
is  known  as  the  old  John  Tufts  place.  We  find  it 
on  Sycamore  Street,  at  some  distance  from  the  foot 
of  the  hill,  a  plain  two  and  a  half  story  wooden 
building,  near  the  corner  of  Medford  Street. 

Spring  Hill  was  one  of  the  eminences  on  which 
Lord  Percy  planted  his  cannon  to  cover  the  retreat 
of  the  British  on  that  disastrous  19th  of  April. 
A  tablet  on  Willow  Avenue  marks  the  graves  of 
some  British  soldiers  who  were  slain  in  a  skirmish 
here  on  the  same  day. 

The  Old  Powder  House,  now  standing  in  the 
centre  of  a  small  public  park,  is  one  of  Somerville's 
most  cherished  relics.    The  bronze  tablet  tells  us 


136  FIELD  LESSONS 

that  it  dates  from  1704,  at  least  the  purchase  of  the 
site;  that  it  was  built  for  a  windmill,  and  was 
deeded  to  the  Province  in  1747,  and  that  on  Sep- 
tember 1,  1774,  General  Gage  seized  the  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  half-barrels  of  gunpowder  stored 
within  its  walls. 

NO.   10.  — GRADE  VIII 

Dudley  Street  Terminal  and  Vicinity  —  History 

Dudley  Street  and  the  square  were  named  for 
the  famous  Dudley  family  that  began  with  Gover- 
nor Thomas  Dudley,  who  died  in  1653,  and  was 
buried  in  the  churchyard  nearby.  This  will  be  the 
first  place  we  visit.  It  is  usually  called  the  Eustis 
Street  Cemetery,  and  is  located  at  the  corner 
of  Dudley  and  Eustis  Streets. 

Near  the  entrance  from  the  latter  street  is  the 
Dudley  tomb.  Here  were  buried  four  famous 
members  of  the  family :  Governor  Thomas  Dudley, 
(died  1653) ;  Governor  Joseph  Dudley  (died  1720) ; 
Chief  Justice  Paul  Dudley  (died  1752) ;  and  Colonel 
William  Dudley  (died  1743).  A  sketch  of  the 
lives  and  public  services  of  the  men  might  profit- 
ably precede  the  trip,  and  may  be  found  in  any 
good  history  of  Old  Boston. 

The  Parish  Tomb,  in  which  were  interred  the 
early  ministers  of  the  First  Church  of  Roxbury,  is 
near  the  centre  of  the  burying-ground.  The  most 
noted  of  these  men  was  the  saintly  John  Eliot, 
Apostle  to  the  Indians,  and  for  over  forty  years 


BOSTON  BASIN  137 

minister  of  this  church.  His  efforts  to  Christianize 
the  Indians,  for  whose  education  he  succeeded  in 
having  a  college  building  erected  at  Harvard,  the 
great  work  he  performed  in  translating  the  whole 
Bible  into  their  language,  and  the  character  of  the 
man  himself,  are  fruitful  subjects  for  interesting 
talks  with  the  pupils.  A  copy  of  the  old  Indian 
Bible  may  be  seen  at  the  Harvard  University  Li- 
brary (Gore  Hall)  by  asking  at  the  main  desk  in  the 
lower  hall.  The  Eliot  Monument  at  Newton  (off 
Kendall  Street  near  Nonantum  Corner)  may  be 
seen  on  a  later  trip.  The  inscription  on  this  mon- 
ument reads:  "Here  at  Nonantum,  Oct.  28,  1646, 
in  Waban's  wigwam  near  this  spot,  John  Eliot  be- 
gan to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Indians.  Here  he 
founded  the  first  Christian  community  of  Indians 
within  the  English  colonies."  Eliot's  house  stood 
at  the  corner  of  Washington  and  Dudley  streets, 
in  the  rear  of  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the  People's 
Bank. 

Five  of  the  other  early  ministers  of  the  parish  are 
buried  in  the  same  tomb.  An  interesting  grave  is 
that  of  "The  Learned  and  Scholarly"  poet  and 
schoolmaster,  Benjamin  Thompson,  for  a  long  time 
master  of  the  Roxbury  school.  The  oldest  tomb- 
stone is  that  of  a  child  who  was  buried  in  1653. 

In  Revolutionary  times  a  redoubt  extended  from 
the  burying-ground  across  Washington  Street,  at 
that  time  the  one  road  leading  from  Roxbury  into 
Boston.  This  connected  with  the  Roxbury  Lower 
and  Upper  Forts  near  Eliot  Square. 


138  FIELD  LESSONS 

Governor  Shirley,  during  whose  administration 
the  wonderful  Louisburg  expedition  was  launched, 
had  a  fine  mansion-house  on  Dudley  Street,  a  little 
way  north  of  Eustis  Street,  which  also,  by  the  way, 
was  named  for  one  of  the  early  governors. 

On  Warren  Street,  near  Dudley,  is  a  stone  house 
built  on  the  site  of  the  birthplace  of  General 
Joseph  Warren.  A  tablet  set  into  its  front  bears 
this  inscription:  "On  this  spot  stood  the  house 
erected  in  1720  by  Joseph  Warren  of  Boston,  re- 
markable for  being  the  birthplace  of  General 
Joseph  Warren,  his  grandson,  who  was  killed  in  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  June  17,  1775." 

NO.   11.  — GRADES  VII-VIII 
Eliot  Square  and  Vicinity  —  History 

(Take  Roxbury  Crossing  car  from  Dudley  Street  and  get 
off  at  Eliot  Square.) 

The  large  Unitarian  church  which  stands  in  the 
centre  of  Eliot  Square  is  the  fourth  meeting-house 
erected  on  this  site.  The  first  one  was  built  in 
1632,  and  here  John  Eliot  served  as  pastor  for  forty- 
two  of  his  sixty  years  in  the  ministry.  The  third 
church  building  was  used  during  the  investment  of 
Boston  as  a  signal  station  by  the  patriots,  and  so 
became  the  target  for  numerous  shots  from  the 
English  cannon.  The  present  edifice  is  a  little  over 
a  century  old,  having  been  erected  in  1804. 

To  the  north  is  an  ancient  gambrel-roofed  house, 
known  as  the  Dillaway  House.    It  was  built  about 


BOSTON  BASIN  139 

1750  for  a  parsonage,  and  was  so  used  for  three- 
quarters  of  a  century. 

At  the  foot  of  the  square  is  one  of  the  old  mile- 
stones or  " Parting  Stones''  so  frequently  erected 
in  Colonial  times.  This  one  was  set  in  place  by  Paul 
Dudley  (the  Chief  Justice)  in  1744,  and  bears  on  the 
two  sides  the  following  inscriptions:  "Dedham  X 
Rhode  Island"  and  " Cambridge  Watertown." 

Roxbury  Upper  Fort,  surmounted  by  the  lofty 
water-tower,  is  reached  by  way  of  Highland  Street 
and  Fort  Street.    The  tablet  records  the  fact  that 

On  this  eminence  stood 
Roxbury  High  Fort 
A  strong  earthwork  planted  by- 
Henry  Knox  and  Josiah  Waters 
and  erected  by  the  American  Army 
June  1775  —  crowning  the  famous 
Roxbury  lines  of  investment  at 
the  siege  of  Boston. 

From  this  point  the  American  army  marched  into 
Boston  on  March  17,  1776,  along  Washington 
Street,  over  the  long,  narrow  Neck,  and  so  to  the 
wharves  from  which  the  British  and  Tories  had  so 
recently  embarked  for  Halifax.  The  street  took 
its  name  from  the  fact  that  our  first  President 
himself  led  the  troops. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

GRADES  VII-VIII 

No.  12.  —  Cambridge  —  Historical 

(Reached  from  Park  Street  Subway  station,  Dudley  Street, 
or  Hanover  Street.    Fare  5  cents.    Twenty-five  minutes.) 

WE  proceed  directly  to  Harvard  Square,  as 
nearly  all  the  historic  spots  are  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  the  square.  Our  route  will  be  through  the 
college  yard,  across  the  Common  to  the  Washington 
Elm,  to  Christ  Church,  and  so  into  Brattle  Street, 
finishing  our  walk  at  Mount  Auburn  Cemetery. 

Alighting  at  Harvard  Square  we  view  the  old 
President's  House  (or  Wadsworth  House,  as  it  is 
usually  called),  built  in  1726,  and  Washington's 
residence  during  the  first  few  days  he  was  in  Cam- 
bridge. For  a  hundred  years  it  was  the  official  home 
of  the  college  presidents,  and  has  been  the  residence 
of  many  famous  men. 

Harvard  Hall  and  Massachusetts  Hall  face  each 
other  near  the  Johnston  gate.  The  latter  is  the 
oldest  of  the  college  buildings,  dating  from  1720, 
and  every  brick  in  the  venerable  hall  was  brought 
from  England,  as  there  were  no  brick-yards  here 
then.  It  was  used  as  barracks  by  the  Continental 
troops  after  the  battle  of  Lexington,  and  the  tablet 


BOSTON  BASIN  141 

on  the  entry  walls  records  the  names  of  some  of  the 
illustrious  men  who  roomed  here  during  the  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years  it  was  used  as  a  dormitory. 
Now  it  is  fittingly  the  lecture-room  in  United  States 
history.  Harvard  Hall  (1764)  was  also  a  barrack- 
room,  and  here  Washington  was  received  on  his  last 
visit  in  1789.  Hollis  and  Stoughton  Halls,  which 
are  just  beyond,  were  the  college  homes  of  many  fa- 
mous men,  Charles  Sumner,  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes 
and  Edward  Everett  Hale  being  among  the  number. 
As  we  pass  out  of  the  gate  we  should  read  the  in- 
scriptions on  either  side. 

Crossing  the  street  to  the  First  Parish  Church 
we  follow  the  street  that  turns  to  the  left  and  soon 
come  to  the  oldest  cemetery  in  the  city.  A  monu- 
ment of  red  granite  marks  the  resting-place  of  three 
of  the  six  Cambridge  minute-men  killed  on  April 
19,  1775.  It  is  related  that  the  bodies  were  placed 
in  one  common  trench,  wrapped  only  in  the  clothes 
they  wore  when  they  fell,  and  that  Moses  Richard- 
son's son  sprang  into  the  trench  for  one  last  fare- 
well. The  fallen  patriot's  grandson  was  captain  of 
the  first  company  enlisted  in  the  Civil  War  — 
truly  a  lesson  in  patriotism. 

Just  beyond  the  cemetery  we  come  to  the  first 
Episcopal  church  built  in  Cambridge,  Christ  Church, 
erected  in  1761,  modelled  after  a  church  in  Italy. 
Like  many  other  of  the  buildings  in  the  town  it  was 
used  as  barracks  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution, 
when  the  organ  pipes  were  melted  to  run  into  bul- 
lets.    Washington  and  his  wife  attended  service 


142  FIELD  LESSONS 

in  this  church  on  the  last  Sunday  in  1775.  The 
beautiful  chime  of  thirteen  bells  was  presented  by 
Harvard  alumni  at  the  centennial  anniversary  of 
the  historic  building. 

A  few  steps  farther  along  we  come  to  the  most 
historic  tree  still  standing  in  the  United  States,  — 
the  "  Washington  Elm."  To  have  the  pupils  see  in 
imagination  the  scene  here  enacted  on  July  3,  1775, 
is  alone  worth  the  trip.  The  newly  chosen  com- 
mander-in-chief in  his  blue  and  buff  uniform;  his 
aides  and  chosen  officers,  attired  in  the  regimentals 
of  the  different  colonies ;  the  mob  of  brave  and  de- 
termined, but  raw  and  untrained,  men  called  by 
courtesy  the  American  army;  and,  shading  the 
chief  actors  in  the  pageant,  the  noble  tree  whose 
dwarfed  stump  remains  to  bear  witness  to  its  former 
glories,  —  all  these  should  be  made  very  vivid  to  the 
little  group  whom  we  have  assembled  at  this  con- 
secrated spot.  The  inscription  should  be  copied  by 
the  pupils,  a  photograph  made  for  use  in  lantern 
talks,  and  further  studies  of  the  events  preceding 
and  following  the  event  of  July  3  assigned  to  dif- 
ferent members  of  the  class. 

As  we  cross  over  to  the  cannon  on  the  Common 
we  take  note  of  the  handsome  Soldiers'  Monument. 
At  its  base  are  two  historic  cannon.  One,  bearing 
the  French  fleur-de-lis,  was  taken  by  the  allied 
English  and  Colonial  troops  at  Quebec  in  1745; 
the  other  two  bear  the  broad  arrow,  showing  that 
they  were  made  in  England.  All  were  taken  by 
Ethan  Allen  and  his  "Green  Mountain  Boys"  at 


BOSTON  BASIN  143 

Ticonderoga  in  May,  1775,  and  were  later  hauled 
all  the  way  from  northern  New  York  in  the  dead  of 
winter  by  the  intrepid  General  Knox.  Mounted 
on  Dorchester  Heights,  they  were  some  of  the  most 
potent  reasons  which  Howe  accepted  for  leaving 
Boston  on  March  17,  1776. 

The  statue  of  John  Bridge,  in  his  Puritan  garb, 
may  be  noted  and  the  inscription  read  before  we 
return  to  Christ  Church.  We  pass  throught  the 
narrow  path  to  the  left  of  the  church  and  find  our- 
selves on  the  spot  where  formerly  stood  the  "  village 
smithy "  of  Longfellow's  poem.  The  companion  of 
the  " spreading  chestnut-tree' '  is  still  standing, 
but  the  original  was  cut  down  long  ago  to  widen 
the  street. 

We  are  now  in  Brattle  Street,  one  of  the  oldest 
roads  in  the  country,  —  it  was  an  Indian  trail  for 
ages  before  the  white  men  came,  —  which  led  from 
Charlestown  to  Watertown  before  either  Boston  or 
Cambridge  was  settled.  It  became  the  fashionable 
street  of  early  Colonial  times,  and  the  stately  resi- 
dences that  extended  along  it,  reaching  to  the  river 
on  the  south,  belonged  to  rich  men  whose  sympa- 
thies were  with  England  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war. 
These  Tories  fled  when  open  hostilities  broke  out, 
and  their  mansions  were  confiscated  by  the  Con- 
tinental Congress. 

The  first  of  these  famous  houses  along  "Tory 
Row"  is  the  one  at  the  corner  of  Brattle  and  Haw- 
thorne Streets.  It  was  built  soon  after  1700,  and  in 
1717  was  bought  by  Sir  Jonathan  Belcher,  royal 


144  FIELD  LESSONS 

governor  of  both  Massachusetts  and  New  Hamp- 
shire from  1730  to  1741.  In  one  of  the  rooms  on 
the  second  floor  was  confined  Dr.  Benjamin 
Church,  the  first  traitor  to  the  American  cause. 
Early  in  the  war,  after  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill, 
it  was  used  as  a  hospital,  and  wounded  soldiers 
from  that  fight  were  brought  here,  where  some  of 
them  died. 

Across  the  street  stands  the  most  famous  house  in 
the  Commonwealth,  if  not  in  the  country,  —  the 
Longfellow  house.  Secluded  behind  its  sheltering 
hedge  and  shaded  by  noble  trees,  it  has  had  as 
dwellers  within  its  walls  many  famous  men.  It 
was  built  in  1759  by  Colonel  John  Vassal  the 
Younger.  After  he  fled  to  Boston  to  seek  safety 
with  Gage  from  his  angry  townspeople,  it  was  as- 
signed to  Colonel  John  Glover  and  his  company  of 
Connecticut  troops.  On  July  15,  1775,  it  became 
the  temporary  home  of  Washington,  and  here  he 
and  Mrs.  Washington  received  many  famous  people 
before  they  left  New  England  in  April  of  the  next 
year.  Here  Andrew  Craigie  entertained  the  Duke 
of  Kent,  father  of  Queen  Victoria;  here  dwelt 
Jared  Sparks  while  he  was  writing  his  famous  his- 
tories ;  Edward  Everett,  the  orator  and  statesman ; 
Worcester,  who  wrote  his  dictionary  in  this  house ; 
and  to  this  same  famous  house  came  Longfellow  in 
1837,  buying  it  in  1843  and  dying  within  its  walls 
in  1882.  Julian  Hawthorne's  description  of  the 
house  might  be  read  aloud  to  the  class  before  or 
after  the  trip. 


BOSTON  BASIN  145 

At  the  corner  of  Brattle  Street  and  Riedesel 
Avenue  is  the  Richard  Lechmere  house.  He  was  a 
Tory  who  owned  all  of  what  is  now  East  Cambridge. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution  it  was  assigned 
to  Jonathan  Sewall,  attorney-general  of  the  prov- 
ince. Here  were  confined  as  prisoners  Baron  and 
Baroness  Riedesel,  friends  of  "Jack"  Burgoyne, 
who  had  accompanied  him  when  he  started  upon 
his  easy  subjugation  of  the  rebellious  Americans. 
The  British  general  was  imprisoned  in  another 
Cambridge  house,  the  "Bishop's  Palace"  on 
Plympton  Street,  which  some  member  of  the 
class  may  be  sent  to  see  and  report  on. 

The  next  famous  house  on  Brattle  Street  is  the 
one  standing  second  from  the  corner  of  Appleton 
Street, — the  Lee  house.  Built  during  the  days 
of  Oliver  Cromwell,  it  is  still  a  fine  specimen  of 
Colonial  architecture.  The  Lees  owned  all  the  land 
from  here  to  Fresh  Pond,  a  half-mile  to  the  west, 
and  south  as  far  as  the  Charles  River.  For  nearly 
two  hundred  and  fifty  years  the  old  mansion  has 
stood  where  we  now  see  it. 

Passing  the  Fayerweather  house  (built  in  1745) 
at  the  corner  of  Fayerweather  Street,  we  cross 
Elmwood  Avenue  and  come  to  famous  "Elmwood," 
the  home  of  James  Russell  Lowell.  It  was  the  resi- 
dence of  Thomas  Oliver,  the  last  royal  lieutenant- 
governor  of  Massachusetts,  and  was  built  a  century 
after  the  Lee  house,  —  in  1760.  Could  we  have 
stood  where  we  are  now  the  night  before  the  Boston 
Tea  Party  we  might  have  seen  the  grounds  filled 


146  FIELD  LESSONS 

with  an  angry  crowd  of  patriotic  Americans  calling 
on  the  Governor  to  come  out  and  make  answer  in 
regard  to  the  disputed  tea ;  and  we  might  have  seen 
him,  bareheaded  and  dauntless,  write  out  his  resig- 
nation then  and  there  to  save  his  handsome  home 
from  the  fury  of  his  enraged  townspeople.  In  1793 
the  house  was  bought  by  Elbridge  Gerry,  minister 
to  France  during  the  Reign  of  Terror,  Governor  of 
Massachusetts  and  Vice-President.  In  1817  the 
house  was  bought  by  Rev.  Charles  Lowell,  and  here 
his  illustrious  son  was  born  in  1819.  Here  Lowell 
wrote  most  of  his  poems,  and  here  he  died  in  1891. 

Leaving  Elmwood  we  go  by  way  of  Mount  Au- 
burn Street  to  Mt.  Auburn  Cemetery  where  are 
buried  so  many  of  our  noted  men;  or  we  may 
turn  back  and  retrace  our  way  up  Brattle  Street, 
to  the  historic  Brattle  House,  noting  on  our  way 
the  site  of  Leif  Ericson's  first  house  in  Vinland. 
A  flat  granite  tablet,  surrounded  by  a  small  iron 
railing,  marks  the  spot  picked  out  by  Professor 
Horsford  as  the  site  of  the  dwelling  of  the  old 
Norse  rover.  We  may  send  a  group  of  boys  down 
into  the  field  from  Elmwood  to  investigate  the 
tablet  while  we  walk  along  towards  Harvard 
Square. 

On  our  way  we  pass  the  Waterhouse  cottage,  built 
in  1753  by  Professor  Benjamin  Waterhouse,  the 
man  who  introduced  vaccination  into  this  country, 
for  doing  which  he  was  long  ridiculed  and  perse- 
cuted. There  are  in  the  house  some  fine  paintings 
by  the  Cambridge  artist  Washington  Allston,  and 


BOSTON  BASIN  147 

a  very  quaint  old  clock  dating  from  Revolutionary 
times. 

The  Brattle  house  is  on  the  south  side  of  the 
street,  near  Brattle  Square.  The  building  dates 
from  before  the  War  for  Independence.  In  1775- 
1776  General  Mifflin  had  his  headquarters  in  it. 
Here  for  a  time  dwelt  Abigail  Adams  while  her 
husband  was  at  Philadelphia  attending  the  Con- 
tinental Congress.  General  Charles  Lee  —  third  of 
the  traitors  to  the  cause  —  was  a  frequent  visi- 
tor, with  his  pet  dog  Spada.  Margaret  Fuller, 
the  author,  also  lived  here,  though  her  early  home 
was  on  Pine  Street,  in  Cambridgeport. 

One  pupil  might  be  sent  to  Linnaean  Street,  near 
Porter  Station,  to  see  and  report  on  the  Austin 
house,  the  oldest  in  the  city,  erected  in  1657. 

Should  the  lesson  include  Mount  Auburn  Ceme- 
tery, a  guide  map  or  plan  of  the  ground  should  be 
secured  from  the  custodian,  and  it  will  be  well  for 
the  teacher  to  make  the  trip  in  advance.  Some  of 
the  graves  of  special  interest  are  those  of  the 
following : 

Longfellow,  Lowell  and  N.  P.  Willis ;  Motley  the 
historian ;  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes ;  Phillips  Brooks 
and  W.  E.  Channing ;  Dr.  Morton,  the  discoverer  of 
anaesthetics;  Agassiz,  Charles  Sumner  and  Mar- 
garet Fuller.  A  study  of  the  Sphinx,  and  of  the 
inscription  on  the  figure,  are  also  profitable. 

If  the  class  is  interested  in  Norse  landmarks  the 
following  remains,  as  indicated  by  Count  Rumford, 
may  be  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  Mount  Auburn. 


148  FIELD  LESSONS 

We  walk  down  Mt.  Auburn  Street  to  Willis  Court, 
near  Coolidge  Avenue.  The  first  path  to  the  right, 
called  Bank  Lane  (or  the  Bridle  Path),  takes  us  to 
the  spot  where  Thorfinn  Karlsefni  is  supposed  to 
have  made  his  settlement  in  1003.  There  remain 
some  old  stone  walls,  which  may  have  been  part  of 
an  Icelandic  hut,  as  it  was  built  in  the  manner  of  the 
people  of  that  age.  Near  by  is  a  paved  stone  path 
leading  to  the  river,  similar  to  paths  that  the 
people  of  Iceland  have  made  for  a  thousand  years 
past.  "  Depressions  in  the  ground  between  Bank 
Lane  and  the  sea-path  show  where  a  long  house 
built  of  turf  or  wood  probably  stood,"  says  Bacon; 
and  he  adds:  "Here  has  been  found  a  typical  Ice- 
landic rectangular  fireplace  surrounded  by  upright 
stones."  A  little  way  across  the  open  field  is  the 
stone  tablet  to  Leif  Ericson  referred  to  above, 
which  may  be  inspected  by  the  whole  class  if  we 
make  this  side  trip.  The  winding  character  of  the 
Charles,  with  its  dykes  (reminding  one  of  Holland), 
and  the  Stadium,  on  Soldiers'  Field,  should  not  pass 
unnoticed. 

Returning  to  the  street  we  take  a  car  for  Boston, 
thus  finishing  our  lesson. 

GRADE   VIII 

No.  13.  —  Charlestown  —  Historical 

Charlestown  was  settled  July  4,  1629.  Win- 
throp's  colonists  came  here  in  1629  and  stayed  a 
year,  going  over  to  Boston  in  1630.    On  the  day 


BOSTON  BASIN  149 

when  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  was  fought  nearly 
all  of  the  four  hundred  buildings  of  Charlestown 
were  burned  by  the  British.  The  Navy  Yard  was 
established  here  in  1800.  The  Monument,  the 
crowning  glory  of  the  district,  was  begun  in  1825, 
and  finished  in  1842,  largely  through  the  patriotic 
efforts  of  the  women  of  Massachusetts.  At  the  dedi- 
cation exercises,  June  17,  1843,  President  Tyler 
was  present,  and  Daniel  Webster  delivered  one  of 
the  most  famous  orations  of  modern  times.  This 
should  be  read  by  the  class  before  the  trip  is  made, 
and  a  clear  idea  of  the  battle  gained  by  them. 

Rev.  John  Harvard  was  one  of  the  early  resi- 
dents of  the  town,  and  was  buried  in  a  graveyard 
which  was  at  the  foot  of  Town  Hill,  but  which  has 
now  entirely  disappeared.  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse 
was  born  in  the  old  Edes  House  on  Main  Street,  and 
John  Boyle  O'Reilly  lived  for  many  years  in  the 
house  at  34  Winthrop  Street.  Edward  Everett 
lived  on  Harvard  Street  while  he  was  Governor  of 
the  Commonwealth  from  1836  to  1840. 

Charlestown  became  a  city  in  1847  and  was  an- 
nexed to  Boston  in  1872.  The  territory  formerly 
embraced  in  Charlestown  was  of  great  extent ;  but 
there  are  now  only  five  hundred  and  eighty-six 
acres  within  the  limits  of  the  city,  including  the 
ninety-one  acres  of  the  Navy  Yard. 

On  the  site  of  the  Public  Library  was  the  "  Great 
House' '  built  for  Governor  Winthrop  in  which  the 
Court  of  Assistants  met  in  1629  and  ordered  that 
Trimount  should  be  called  Boston.    Up  on  Town 


150  FIELD  LESSONS 

Hill  was  the  old  fort,  built  with  "  Palisadoes "  and 
"Flankers"  in  1629.  Charlestown  is  chiefly  in- 
teresting, however,  as  the  scene  of  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill  and  because  it  contains  the  Navy 
Yard. 

In  preparing  the  class  for  the  trip,  emphasis 
should  be  laid  on  the  events  that  led  to  the  battle  on 
Bunker  Hill;  the  reinforcement  of  the  British 
troops  in  Boston;  the  importance  of  holding  this 
height  which  overlooked  the  harbor;  Howe's 
plan  to  take  possession  of  it  on  June  17,  and  the 
rapidity  with  which  the  Colonial  militia  acted 
when  they  learned  of  Howe's  plans.  Then  the  as- 
sembling of  the  minute-men  on  Cambridge  Com- 
mon; the  prayer  of  President  Langdon  of  Har- 
vard as  the  silent  yeomen  stood  or  knelt  about  the 
camp,  torches  and  lanterns  twinkling  here  and 
there ;  the  silent  march  across  the  flats  to  Charles- 
town,  and  the  feverish  work  throughout  the  night 
to  complete  the  breastworks  before  dawn  should 
disclose  them  to  the  enemy,  —  all  make  a  dramatic 
story  of  intense  interest.  Julian  Hawthorne,  in 
his  History  of  the  United  States,  gives  a  splendid 
account  of  the  battle  that  followed. 


BOSTON  BASIN  151 

GRADE  IX 
No.  14.  —  The  Harbor  Islands  —  Historical 

Castle  Island 

In  1698  five  thousand  New  Englanders  seized 
Sir  Edmund  Andros  and  imprisoned  him  in  the 
castle,  on  Castle  Island,  where  he  languished  for 
eight  months.  He  tried  many  times  to  escape,  once 
dressed  in  women's  clothes,  and  again  when  his  ser- 
vant made  the  sentry  very  drunk.  This  time  Sir 
Edmund  got  as  far  as  Rhode  Island,  but  was 
captured  and  sent  back. 

In  1701  all  the  old  Colonial  works  on  Castle 
Island  were  torn  down  and  a  new  brick  fort  was 
built.  It  was  named  "  Castle  William, "  for  King 
William  III  of  England,  and  was  finished  in  the 
second  year  of  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  1703. 

In  1744  twenty  42-pounders  and  two  mortars 
were  sent  over  to  the  castle  from  England.  These 
were  taken  to  the  siege  of  Louisbourg  in  1745  and 
did  grand  service  in  the  bombardment  of  the  French 
fortress.  They  were  managed  by  Gridley,  who 
had  been  one  of  the  chief  engineers  of  the  castle, 
and  hammered  down  the  Grand  Battery  and  the 
King's  Bastion,  and  poured  their  heavy  missiles 
into  the  heart  of  the  Gibraltar  of  America. 

See  Longfellow's  "Ballad  of  the  French  Fleet." 

Some  of  the  regiments  quartered  here  were: 
Shirley's  and  Pepperell's  veterans  of  the  Louisbourg 


152  FIELD  LESSONS 

expedition  in  1753 ;  the  Royal  Americans  in  1758 ; 
Irving' s  Provincials  in  1765 ;  and  several  companies 
of  Royal  Artillery  in  1766-1767. 

Evangeline  and  the  other  Acadian  exiles  were  held 
under  the  guns  of  the  castle  for  several  days  in 
1761,  while  the  General  Court  debated  what  to  do 
with  these  mournful  exiles.  At  last  it  was  de- 
cided that  they  should  not  be  allowed  to  land,  and 
the  transports  were  sent  to  sea  again. 

Several  distinguished  persons  were  buried  here, 
one  being  Sir  Thomas  Adams,  another  the  daughter 
of  Governor  Sir  Francis  Bernard. 

In  1764  the  barracks  accommodated  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  men.  That  year  there  was  a  plague 
of  small-pox,  and  three  thousand  persons  were  vac- 
cinated at  the  castle.  It  was  occupied  for  six 
years  preceding  the  Revolution  by  British  troops. 

In  1661  the  General  Court  ordered  "That  Nicho- 
las Upshall  be  imprisoned  at  Castle  I  for  drawing 
Quakers  here.  None  shall  see  him  or  speak  to  him 
but  members  of  his  own  family." 

The  castle  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1673,  but 
was  rebuilt  the  next  year.  In  1676  Edward  Ran- 
dolph thus  describes  the  fort:  " Three  miles  from 
Boston,  upon  a  small  island,  there  is  a  castle  of 
stone  lately  built,  and  in  good  repair,  with  four  bas- 
tions and  mounted  with  38  guns,  16  whole  culver- 
ins,  commodiously  seated  upon  rising  ground  sixty 
paces  from  the  waterside,  under  which  at  high-water 
mark  is  a  small  battery  of  six  guns.  The  present 
commander  is  one  Captain  Clap,  an  old  man;  his 


BOSTON  BASIN  153 

salary  is  £5  per  annum."  There  belonged  to  the 
fort  at  the  same  time  ten  (afterward  reduced  to  six) 
gunners,  at  a  salary  of  $50  a  year. 

In  a  story  entitled  "The  Rebels/'  by  Lydia  Maria 
Child,  one  of  the  most  exciting  chapters,  telling  of 
the  burial  of  the  treasure-chest,  has  the  scene  laid 
at  the  castle. 

The  island  is  now  connected  with  the  mainland 
at  South  Boston  by  a  long  walk.  The  original  form 
of  the  drumlin  is  almost  obliterated  by  the  building 
of  the  fort,  as  well  as  by  the  work  of  the  waves  and 
tides.  Since  the  invention  of  modern  cannon  the 
fort,  as  well  as  most  of  the  other  fortifications  in 
the  harbor,  has  become  obsolete.  The  granite  wall, 
once  considered  impregnable,  would  not  stand  an 
hour  before  the  guns  of  a  modern  Dreadnought. 
But  if  need  should  arise,  the  islands  could  be  for- 
tified with  long-range  cannon,  and  Boston  be  made 
as  inaccessible  to  an  enemy  as  of  old. 

In  March,  1776,  the  castle  batteries  were  trained 
on  the  adjacent  heights  of  South  Boston,  where 
Washington  had  his  intrenchments,  but  without 
doing  the  Colonists  very  much  damage.  When  the 
town  was  evacuated,  the  garrison  burned  the  bar- 
racks, blew  up  the  magazine  and  otherwise  devas- 
tated the  island.  Washington  sent  Colonel  John 
Trumbull  down,  as  soon  as  possible,  to  take  posses- 
sion of  the  burning  castle,  and  save  what  he  could 
from  the  general  wreck.  Trumbull  was  the  man 
who  painted  the  famous  scenes  from  the  Revo- 


154  FIELD  LESSONS 

lution  which  may  be  seen  in  the  Capitol  at  Wash- 
ington. The  Continental  troops  restored  the  works 
almost  immediately,  under  the  command  of  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Paul  Revere. 

In  1784  the  armament  was  increased  by  the 
addition  of  twenty  cannon  taken  from  the  "Som- 
erset, British  man-of-war/'  which  had  been  wrecked 
on  Cape  Cod. 

From  1785  until  1805  state  criminals  were  sent 
to  Castle  Island.  During  our  brief  war  with 
France  as  many  as  two  hundred  and  fifty  French 
soldiers  and  sailors  were  confined  there  at  one 
time. 

The  island  became  Federal  property  in  1798. 
The  next  year  President  John  Adams  visited  the 
castle,  and  it  was  renamed  Fort  Independence. 

Lieutenant  Massie  of  the  Light  Artillery  was  shot 
here  in  a  duel  in  1817.  He  was  only  twenty-one 
years  old;  you  may  read  the  memorial  erected  on 
the  glacis  to  his  memory: 

"Here  Honour  comes,  a  Pilgrim  gray, 
To  deck  the  turf,  that  wraps  his  clay." 

An  interesting  sight  was  witnessed  here  in  1806 
when  a  band  of  Indians,  including  Osages,  Paw- 
nees, Sacs  and  Foxes,  were  received  with  full  mili- 
tary honors. 

During  the  wars  of  1812  and  1861-1865  the  fort 
was  used  as  barracks  and  a  recruiting  station.  It 
was  finally  given  up  in  1880. 


BOSTON  BASIN  155 


Deer  Island 

1634.  "Deare  Ilande,  so-called  because  of  the 
Deare  which  often  swim  thither  from  the  Maine, 
when  they  are  chased  by  the  Woolves.  Some  have 
killed  sixteen  Deare  in  a  day  upon  this  Ilande." 

Granted  to  Boston  in  1634  as  a  game  preserve, 
for  £2  a  year;  has  remained  the  property  of  the 
city  ever  since. 

It  was  bought  of  Winnepurkitt,  the  last  saga- 
more of  Lynn  (see  Whittier's  "The  Bride  of  Penna- 
cook"). 

King,  in  his  "Handbook  of  Boston  Harbor,"  in 
speaking  of  the  island  says: 

"  No  sadder  scene  has  New  England  ever  witnessed 
than  Deer  Island  in  1675-76,  when,  during  the  panic 
caused  by  King  Philip's  war,  Massachusetts  tore  the 
Christian  Indians  from  their  inland  homes  and  con- 
fined them  upon  this  bleak  and  dreary  strand.  The 
penalty  of  death  was  pronounced  upon  any  who 
should  leave  this  gloomy  prison.  .  .  .  Eliot,  their 
saintly  apostle,  said  that  the  Indians  went  to  their 
captivity  'patiently,  humbly,  and  piously,  without 
murmuring  or  complaining  against  the  English/ 
sailing  on  the  downward  tide  at  midnight,  from  the 
present  site  of  Watertown.  Through  the  dreary 
winter  their  chief  sustenance  was  fish  and  clams, 
their  only  shelter  the  scanty  thickets  and  the  lee 
sides  of  the  bluffs.  Out  of  these  five  hundred  mar- 
tyrs to  English  mistrust  very  many  died,  and  were 
sadly  buried  by  the  moaning  and  misty  sea.    Later 


156  FIELD  LESSONS 

in  the  winter,  as  town  after  town  was  destroyed  by 
the  hostile  tribes,  and  homeless  fugitives  poured 
ever  into  Boston,  the  hard-pressed  Provincials  sent 
down  to  Deer  Island,  asking  for  volunteers.  Many 
of  the  captives  came  forward,  and  were  armed  and 
sent  to  the  frontier  (there  were  fifty  in  one  company 
alone) ;  where  they  fought  their  red  brethren  with 
equal  valor  and  skill,  so  that  they  slew  four  hundred 
of  them,  and  rescued  many  white  captives.  As 
General  Gookin  said,  they  '  turned  ye  balance  to  ye 
English  side,  so  that  ye  enemy  went  down  ye  wind 
amain/  In  May,  1676,  the  survivors  were  returned 
to  their  villages  in  honor.  Thereafter  the  island 
was  used  as  a  prison  for  hostile  Indians  captured 


Thompson's  Island 

Named  for  Mr.  David  Thompson,  gentleman,  of 
London,  who  visited  it  in  1619  in  search  of  a  trad- 
ing post  with  the  Indians.  Miles  Standish  came 
here  in  1620  and  named  it  Trevour  Island ;  but  in 
1626  Thompson  returned  and  established  a  per- 
manent settlement  on  the  island  some  years  before 
the  settlement  of  Boston.  He  died  here  two  years 
later,  and  his  wife  and  son  soon  returned  to  Eng- 
land. In  1634  Massachusetts  granted  the  island  to 
Dorchester,  which  agreed  to  pay  £20  a  year,  which 
sum  was  to  go  to  the  support  of  a  schoolmaster. 
This  has  been  spoken  of  as  "the  first  public  pro- 
vision made  for  a  free  school  in  the  world,  by  a 
direct  tax  or  assessment  on  the  inhabitants  of  a 
town." 


BOSTON  BASIN  157 

In  1648  the  island  was  restored  to  John  Thomp- 
son, son  of  the  first  settler ;  he  sold  it  to  two  Bristol 
merchants.    Later  it  was  bought  by  Boston. 

In  1775  the  buildings  on  the  island  were  destroyed 
by  Colonial  foragers. 

1834.  The  Boston  Farm  School  purchased  the 
island  for  $6,000.  Since  then  it  has  been  used  as  a 
home  for  indigent  boys.  Sweetser,  writing  in  1882, 
said: 

"  There  are  about  one  hundred  boys  (of  from  eight 
to  seventeen  years  of  age)  on  the  island,  for  whom 
the  school  stands  in  loco  parentis.  Up  at  sunrise, 
and  busied  in  practical  studies  and  useful  labors, 
the  lads  lead  a  happy  and  contented  life;  and  their 
health  is  sufficiently  preserved  by  the  pure  air  of 
the  bay  and  their  frequent  baths  in  the  sea.  Some 
of  the  graduates  of  the  school  have  occupied  high 
and  honorable  positions  in  the  outer  world;  and 
many  of  them  visit  the  island  in  after-life  to  renew 
their  memories  of  the  place  once  so  dear  to  them. 
The  great  catastrophe  of  the  institution  is  now 
almost  forgotten.  It  occurred  in  April,  1842,  when 
a  large  boat,  full  of  the  boys,  returning  from  a  fish- 
ing-trip down  the  harbor,  was  upset  by  a  sudden 
squall,  and  twenty-three  boys,  the  boatman,  and  a 
teacher  drowned. 

"'That  little  island,' says  one  writer,  '  reminds 
me  of  the  myth  concerning  Latona,  who,  when  she 
had  no  place  on  earth  to  bring  forth  and  rear  her 
children,  had  an  island  created  for  her  own  special 
uses;  and  something  like  it  exists  here;  for  when 
the  boys  who  prowl  about  our  city  streets,  fatherless, 


158  FIELD  LESSONS 

motherless,  forlorn  and  homeless,  are  discovered, 
this  little  Thompson's  Island  rises  as  a  refuge  for 
them;  and  here  they  are  sheltered  and  educated 
until  they  are  fit  to  go  forth  into  the  great  world,  and 
battle  manfully  with  it.'  " 

Spectacle  Island 

So  named  because  at  low  water  it  somewhat  re- 
sembles a  huge  pair  of  spectacles. 

1666.  For  nearly  a  century  after  this  date  it 
was  in  the  possession  of  the  Bill  family.  Samuel 
Bill  bought  it  from  the  son  of  Wampatuck,  the 
chief  of  the  Massachusetts  Indians.  The  deed  reads 
in  part  as  follows:  "By  these  presents  I  do  fully, 
freely,  absolutely  give,  grant,  sell,  enseasse,  and 
convey  unto  the  said  Samuel  Bill  his  heyeres  and 
Assigns  forever  one  certain  Island,  Scituate  in  the 
Massachusetts  Bay,  commonly  known  and  called 
by  the  name  of  Spectacle  Island." 

1718.  A  hospital  was  built  here. 

1742.  Sold  by  the  Bills  to  Edward  Bromfield  of 
Boston. 

1857.  Bought  by  Nahum  Ward  for  $15,000  as  a 
place  for  rendering  dead  animals.  This  has  proved 
a  most  profitable  industry,  and  helps  to  keep  Boston 
clean.  About  two  thousand  dead  horses  are  re- 
ceived here  every  year,  and  their  products  are 
hides,  hair,  oil  and  bones. 


BOSTON  BASIN  159 


Apple  Island 

A  small  drumlin  noted  for  its  beautiful  elm- 
trees. 

1650.  The  island  belonged  to  Boston.  It  was 
sold  to  Hon.  Thomas  Hutchinson,  father  of  the 
Governor,  in  1723.  In  1802  it  became  the  prop- 
erty of  an  Englishman,  Mr.  Marsh,  who  lived  here 
with  his  negro  servant,  Black  Jack,  and  who  died 
here  in  1833. 

Peddock's  Island 

Named  for  Leonard  Peddock,  who  landed  here 
over  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  years  ago. 

It  was  the  scene  of  a  remarkable  tragedy,  when 
a  French  vessel  was  captured  by  Indians,  most  of 
the  crew  were  made  slaves,  and  the  rest  killed. 

In  1634  it  was  granted  to  Charlestown  to  keep 
cattle  upon.  Then  it  became  the  property  of 
Nantasket. 

May,  1775,  Colonial  soldiers  landed  on  the  island 
and  carried  off  thirty  cattle  and  five  hundred  sheep. 
The  next  year  six  hundred  militia  were  placed  here 
to  guard  the  entrance  to  the  harbor.  In  1778  the 
sailors  of  Count  D'Estaing's  fleet  were  stationed 
on  Peddock's  Island,  where  they  erected  some  for- 
tifications looking  seaward. 


160  FIELD  LESSONS 

Grape  Island 

A  favorite  resort  of  the  Indians  before  1630. 

1 '  Ring  after  ring  of  stones  (used  for  baking  clams) , 
has  been  found  here,  set  up  edgewise,  with  beds  of 
clean  beach-gravel  in  the  enclosed  spaces.  Here 
the  careful  searcher  may  still  find  stone  toma- 
hawks."    (King.) 

Slate  Island 

As  early  as  1630  this  island  was  used  by  the 
settlers  at  Boston  as  a  slate  quarry.  Unlike  most  of 
the  islands  in  the  harbor,  it  is  not  of  glacial  origin, 
but  is  the  remnant  of  an  old  hill,  which  was  al- 
most buried  by  the  last  submergence.  There  is 
nothing  of  special  historic  interest  connected  with 
the  island. 

Nut  Island 

A  drumlin,  connected  at  low  tide  with  Hough's 
Neck  by  a  sand-bar. 

Used  for  many  years  as  a  place  for  target  prac- 
tice for  big  cannon. 

Tide  action  may  be  studied  here  to  good  ad- 
vantage. The  northern  part  of  the  island  has  been 
eaten  away  so*that  much  of  the  hill  has  disappeared. 
The  formation  of-flats»and  beaches  may  be  observed 
here. 


BOSTON  BASIN  161 

George's  Island  —  Fort  Warren 

Probably  named  for  Captain  John  George,  a 
well-known  merchant  and  official  of  Boston  about 
1700.  It  is  some  six  miles  from  the  city,  and  a  mile 
from  Hull.  It  was  first  granted  to  one  James  Pem- 
berton  in  the  seventeenth  century,  and  was  sold 
to  Elisha  Leavitt  in  1765,  for  $1,700.  In  1825  it 
was  purchased  by  the  United  States. 

The  island  is  so  far  from  Boston  that  little 
mention  is  found  of  it  in  the  early  records.  In  1711 
it  was  first  used  as  a  place  where  sick  soldiers  were 
cared  for. 

The  earliest  fort  was  erected  here  in  1778,  and 
consisted  of  a  large  earthwork,  commanding  the 
eastern  approach  to  Nantasket  Roads.  Its  object 
was  to  protect  the  fleet  of  Count  D'Estaing,  then 
lying  at  anchor  in  the  harbor,  from  an  attack  by 
British  cruisers,  many  of  which  were  lying  off  Nan- 
tasket. Many  of  the  guns  from  the  French  fleet 
were  landed  here  to  arm  the  battery. 

In  1833  the  United  States  government  began  to 
build  the  present  fortress.  It  was  finished  about 
1850.  During  the  Civil  War  it  was  a  very  impor- 
tant fort,  being  one  of  the  chief  Northern  prisons. 
Not  only  were  Southern  officers  and  soldiers  cap- 
tured in  battle  confined  here,  but  Northerners 
suspected  of  treason  were  incarcerated  as  well. 
In  November,  1861,  the  steamship  State  of  Maine 
brought  here  from  Fort  Lafayette  one  hundred  and 
ten  political  and  six  hundred  and  forty-five  mili- 


162  FIELD  LESSONS 

tary  prisoners.  In  this  fort  were  confined  the  fa- 
mous rebel  emissaries  Mason  and  Slidell.  It  will 
be  remembered  that,  to  avoid  war  with  England, 
they  were  released  by  order  of  the  President. 

Sweetser  says : 

"On  the  morning  of  January  1,  1862,  the  garrison 
was  paraded  under  arms,  with  their  backs  to  the  gate, 
while  the  prisoners  and  their  secretaries  were  con- 
ducted to  the  wharf,  in  a  howling  winter  storm. 
They  were  carried  across  Massachusetts  Bay  in  the 
tug  Starlight,  to  Provincetown,  where  the  British 
war-vessel  Rinaldo  took  them  on  board.  During  the 
dreary  weeks  which  they  spent  on  this  icy  strand 
the  portly  and  jovial  Mason  and  his  lean  and  dys- 
peptic companion  solaced  themselves  by  unnum- 
bered rounds  of  poker,  and  swore  and  spat,  and  spat 
and  swore,  continually,  to  the  great  and  increasing 
amazement  of  their  orthodox  guardsmen.  ...  A 
horrible  little  triangular  dungeon  in  the  casemates 
was  long  occupied  by  Keene,  a  sailor  who  had  en- 
deavored to  blow  up  the  United  States  frigate 
Congress,  with  all  on  board.". 

Eight  hundred  Confederates  were  imprisoned  here 
in  the  winter  of  1861-1862,  most  of  whom  had 
been  captured  by  Burnside  in  his  campaign  against 
Roanoke  Island.  General  Buckner,  who  surren- 
dered Fort  Donelson  and  sixteen  thousand  men  to 
General  Grant,  and  General  Tighlman,  who  surren- 
dered Fort  Henry,  were  both  imprisoned  here. 
In  May,  1862,  the  fort  received  many  Confederates 


BOSTON  BASIN  163 

captured  in  the  battles  below  New  Orleans,  in- 
cluding six  officers  of  the  rebel  ironclad  Louisiana, 
and  many  officers  of  the  Texas,  Louisiana  and 
Tennessee  volunteers.  These  Southerners  suffered 
severely  from  the  intense  cold,  but  were  otherwise 
well  treated.  Later  in  the  war  the  prisoners  in- 
cluded many  desperate  blockade-runners,  officers 
of  Longstreet's  corps,  and  guerillas  from  Morgan's 
command. 

The  following  incident,  taken  from  "King's 
Handbook,"  will  interest  the  boys  especially.  In 
August,  1863,  a  daring  attempt  at  escape  was 
made.  Among  the  prisoners  then  confined  in  the 
casemates  were  the  officers  and  crews  of  the  rebel 
privateers  Tacony  and  Atlanta.  Six  of  these  offi- 
cers succeeded  in  squeezing  themselves  through 
the  loophole  which  opened  from  their  prison  and 
dropping  into  the  moat  at  night.  Then,  skilfully 
avoiding  the  sentinels,  they  gained  the  shore.  Two 
started  to  swim  across  to  LovelTs  Island ;  but  the 
night  was  intensely  dark,  the  tide  ran  out  like  a 
mill-race,  and  neither  of  the  men  was  ever  heard  of 
again.  Lieutenants  Thurston  and  Alexander  of 
the  Atlanta  crossed  to  Lovell's  on  a  rude  raft,  in- 
tending to  capture  a  boat  and  return  for  their  com- 
rades. Reaching  the  shore  more  dead  than  alive, 
they  waited  until  their  strength  came  back,  and 
then  rowed  out  in  a  dory  and  boarded  an  an- 
chored sailboat.  This  craft  bore  them  out  of  Boston 
Harbor  at  gray  dawn,  and  they  were  well  down 
on  the  Maine  coast  before  a  United  States  revenue- 


164  FIELD  LESSONS 

cutter  overhauled  them.  Two  others,  Captain  Reed 
of  the  Tacony  and  Major  Saunders  of  the  rebel  army, 
waited  by  the  shore  all  night  for  the  lieutenants  to 
sail  in  for  them,  and  were  then  recaptured.  Fort 
Warren  was  at  that  time  commanded  by  Colonel 
Dimick,  the  same  gallant  officer  who  preserved 
Fortress  Monroe  from  seizure  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
war. 

The  most  distinguished  prisoner  ever  confined 
here  was  Alexander  Stephens,  Vice-President  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy,  who  spent  five  months  at 
Fort  Warren. 

Governor's   Island 

Governor's  Island  was  so  named  because  in  1632 
the  colony  gave  it  to  Governor  Winthrop  (hence 
also  the  name  Fort  Winthrop).  He  was  to  pay  as 
rental  "a  hhd.  of  wine  that  should  be  made  there- 
on." This  was  afterward  changed  to  two  bushels 
of  apples  that  should  be  grown  there :  one  was  to 
go  to  the  General  Court  and  the  other  to  the 
Governor. 

Here,  in  "Governor's  Garden,"  with  his  Indian 
servant,  Winthrop  was  wont  to  spend  most  of  his 
summers.  Here  he  raised  the  first  apples  and  pears 
ever  grown  in  New  England.  He  built  a  small  fort 
and  a  summer  cottage  on  the  island.  His  wife, 
Margaret  Winthrop,  often  came  here,  and  with  her 
their  five  famous  sons,  each  of  whom  gained  dis- 
tinction in  after  life.  The  eldest  was  Adam,  who 
was  the  ancestor  of  the  Cambridge  Winthrops. 


BOSTON  BASIN  165 

The  second,  John,  was  the  founder  of  New  Haven 
and  a  governor  of  Connecticut.  Stephen  became 
one  of  Oliver  Cromwell's  colonels  and  a  member  of 
Parliament  from  Aberdeen.  Deane  founded  the 
town  of  Winthrop  and  also  the  town  of  Groton. 
Samuel  became  Deputy-Governor  of  Antigua  (one 
of  the  West  India  Islands),  and  ancestor  of  Lord 
Lyons  and  of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk. 

The  first  shipwreck  in  the  infant  colony  occurred 
on  this  island,  when  the  Friendship,  bound  for 
St.  Kitts,  went  ashore. 

About  1640-1650  Governor's  Island  had  the  rep- 
utation of  being  the  abode  of  demons  and  witches, 
because  of  strange  noises  reported  heard  there, 
and  "sparkles"  of  light  which  people  declared  they 
saw  issuing  from  the  summit  of  the  island. 

In  1696  an  eight-gun  battery  was  placed  on  the 
southeast  point,  and  a  ten-gun  battery  on  the 
southwest  point.  In  1745  a  more  formidable  bat- 
tery was  begun  here  by  Richard  Gridley,  the  chief 
bombardier  in  the  Louisburg  expedition. 

On  the  day  that  the  British  evacuated  Boston, 
March  17,  1776,  some  of  their  ships  were  driven 
upon  the  island  by  a  severe  gale. 

In  1805  Fort  Warren  (named  for  the  heroic  de- 
fender of  Bunker  Hill)  was  begun  here.  During 
the  second  war  with  Great  Britain  the  island  was 
heavily  fortified,  and  the  "Sea-Fencibles"  went  on 
duty  to  guard  the  batteries.  Mortars  were  placed 
to  defend  the  works,  and  furnaces  were  built  for 
heating  cannon-balls  red-hot,  to  blow  up  any  hos- 


166  FIELD  LESSONS 

tile  ships  that  might  approach  the  island.  During 
the  Civil  War  it  was  used  to  garrison  Federal 
troops. 

Bird  Island 

A  little  to  the  northwest  of  Governor's  Island 
lay  one  of  the  "Lost  Islands"  of  Boston  Harbor. 
This  was  Bird  Island,  and  in  1630  it  was  fully  as 
large  as  Governor's  Island.  For  many  years  it  was 
used  as  a  place  to  hang  criminals.  In  1726  the 
French  miscreant  Thomas  Battis,  with  his  son  and 
three  Indian  accomplices,  were  hanged  at  Charles- 
town  and  buried  on  Bird  Island.  As  late  as  1790  it 
Was  "a  handsome  grassy  island."  Much  of  it  was 
used  for  sand  and  ballast,  and  what  man  left  the 
sea  carried  away.  Now  only  a  gravelly  spit,  with 
a  spindle  rising  from  it,  is  left  as  a  "witness"  of 
this  once  beautiful  island. 

Moon  Island 

One  of  the  many  changes  wrought  by  the  hand 
of  man  in  the  topography  of  Boston  Harbor  may 
be  seen  at  Moon  Island,  which  was  once  properly 
so  called,  but  is  no  longer  an  island.  For  three 
centuries  it  was  the  most  conspicuous  object  in 
this  part  of  the  harbor,  with  its  high  and  grassy 
bluff  rising  boldly  over  Quincy  Bay.  Here  ends 
the  Metropolitan  Sewer,  built  at  a  cost  of  over 
$6,000,000.  The  island  has  been  changed  very 
much  in  shape  and  outline  by  the  work  of  the 
engineers. 


CHAPTER  IX 

LANTERN  LESSONS  —  GRADE  IV 

1.  Homes 

a.  Houses 

b.  Churches 

c.  Public  buildings 

2.  Internal  land  forms 

a.  Mountains  and  hills 

b.  Valleys  and  plains 

3.  External  land  forms 

a.  Peninsulas,  capes,  etc. 

b.  Islands 

4.  Internal  water  forms 

a.  Rivers 

b.  Ponds  and  lakes 

5.  External  water  forms 

a.  Harbors 

b.  Bays,  gulfs,  etc. 

6.  Coasts:  Sandy  and  rocky 

7.  Lighthouses,  ships,  and  life-saving  stations 

8.  People:  Type  forms  of  different  races 

9.  Occupations 

10.  Vegetation  dependent  on  climate 

11.  Journey  Geography  —  Yellowstone  Park 

12.  Journey  Geography  —  Amazon  River 

13.  Journey  Geography  —  Alaska 

14.  Journey  Geography  —  Japan 

15.  Journey  Geography  —  India 

16.  Journey  Geography  —  England 

17.  Journey  Geography  —  United  States 

18.  If  possible,  a  set  of  slides  illustrating  soils,  gravels, 

etc.,  and  the  action  of  weather  and  water  upon  them. 


168  FIELD  LESSONS 

LANTERN  LESSONS  —  GRADE  V 

1.  Changes  in  land  forms  caused  by  erosion,  transporta- 

tion and  deposition 
a.   Water  action:    surface,  underground  and  ocean 

waters 
6.   Ice  action:  present  and  ancient  glaciers 
Glaciated  land  forms  of  to-day 

2.  Massachusetts 

3.  North  America  —  Physical  features 

4.  South  America  —  Physical  features 

5.  New  England  States 

6.  Middle  Atlantic  States 

7.  Southern  States 

8.  Central  States 

9.  Mountain  and  Plateau  States. 

10.  Pacific  States 

11.  West  Indies  and  Mexico 

12.  Canada  and  the  North 

13.  South    America  —  Commercial;     Brazil,    Argentina, 

Chile 
With  a  sufficient  supply  of  slides  some  of  these  lessons  may 
be  subdivided,  thus  making  the  required  twenty  lessons 

LANTERN  LESSONS —  GRADE  VI 

1  and  2.   Physical  features  of  the  land;  type  forms 

3.  Shore-lines 

4.  Islands:  Great  Britain 

5.  Germany 

6.  France 

7.  Russia 

8.  Holland  \ 

9.  Italy 

10.  Spain  and  Portugal 

11.  Austria-Hungary  and  the  Balkan  States 

12.  Norway  and  Sweden 

13.  Denmark  and  Belgium 

14.  Other  countries  of  Europe 

15.  China 

16.  Japan 


BOSTON  BASIN  169 

17.  India 

18.  Siberia 

19.  Turkey 

20.  Other  countries  of  Asia 

LANTERN  LESSONS— GRADE  VII 

1.  Local  Shipping:  Wharves,  ships,  imports,  exports,  etc. 

2.  Local  Industries:   Boots  and  shoes  and  leather 

3.  Local  Industries :  Woollen  trade  and  manufacturing 

4.  Local  Industries :   Cotton  trade  and  manufacturing 

5.  Local  Industries:    Book-making 

6.  7,  8,  9  and  10.   Similar  industries 

11.  Physical  features  of  Africa 

12.  Africa,  Egypt 

13.  Africa,  Barbary  States 

14.  Africa,  Congo  Region 

15.  Africa,  South  Africa 

16.  Australia 

17.  South  Sea  Islands 

18.  19,  and  20.   Review  the  countries  mentioned  above  by 

"Journey  Geography  " 

LANTERN    LESSONS  —  GRADE    VIII 

1.  Relief  features  of  the  United  States 

2.  Vegetation  sections  of  the  United  States 

3.  United  States:    Industrial  sections 

4.  United  States:   Great  production  regions 

5.  United  States:   Foreign  trade  cities  along  the  coast 

6.  United  States:  Methods  of  transportation,  foreign  and 

domestic 

7.  Cereals,  growth,  manufacturing  and  commerce 

8.  Animals,  food  and  products 

9.  Vegetable  and  animal  fibres,  products  and  trade  in 

10.  Forest  products,  manufacturing  and  trade 

11.  Mineral  products,  manufacturing  and  trade 

12.  The  United  States  and  her  relation  to  the  world's 

trade 
(Trade   routes,   important  exports  and  imports,  etc. 
Use  many  diagrams) 


170  FIELD  LESSONS 

13.  Canada  and  other  North  American  countries:   Com- 

merce 

14.  Great  European  countries:  Commerce 

15.  Lesser  European  countries :  Commerce 

16.  Great  Asiatic  countries:  Commerce 

17.  Lesser  Asiatic  countries :  Commerce 

18.  African  (important)  countries:  Commerce 

19.  South  America  and  Australia:  Commerce 

20.  General  review 

The  work  is  based  on  Adams's  Commercial  Geography.  If 
a  reflectoscope  is  available,  much  more  work  than  is  indicated 
here  can  profitably  be  done. 

Lantern  Slides 
Those  schools  not  well  supplied  with  lantern 
slides  may  secure  the  loan  of  many  fine  sets  from 
the  railroads  and  other  sources  free  of  cost,  or  at 
a  very  slight  expense.  By  arranging  some  time 
beforehand,  the  use  of  these  sets  may  usually  be 
secured  without  difficulty.  Some  of  the  most 
valuable  are  given  below: 

1.  The  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Colorado;  Santa 
Fe  Railroad,  Washington  Street.  A  beautifully 
colored  set  of  some  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
slides. 

2.  The  Yellowstone  National  Park.  Loaned  by 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railway,  Old  South  Building. 
Colored ;  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  the  set. 

3.  Canada  and  the  Northwest.  Secured  from  the 
Canadian  Pacific  officials,  Washington  Street. 
Many  of  these  are  finely  colored  slides. 

4.  A  large  number  of  sets  are  loaned  free  by  the 
Old  South  Historical  Society.  Call  at  the  Old 
South  Church.    These  sets  cover  many  points  deal- 


BOSTON  BASIN  171 

ing  with  the  early  history  of  Boston  and  Massa- 
chusetts, and  arrangements  may  be  made  for  cer- 
tain members  of  the  Society  to  give  the  talk  at  your 
school  either  in  the  afternoon  or  evening.  Such  a 
talk,  preceding  a  field  lesson  on  the  same  historical 
subject,  will  add  much  to  the  value  of  the  trip. 

5.  The  Gardiner  Collection  of  slides,  belonging 
to  the  Geological  Department  of  Harvard  Univer- 
sity, may  be  secured  under  certain  reasonable  con- 
ditions. There  are  many  thousands  of  slides  in 
the  collection,  covering  every  field  of  geology  and 
geography. 

6.  By  keeping  track  of  the  current  lectures  given 
at  the  Public  Library,  Boston  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  Boston  Young  Men's  Christian  Union, 
churches,  schools,  etc.,  many  fine  sets  may  be  se- 
cured, and  in  some  cases  the  speaker  can  be  per- 
suaded to  come  and  give  the  talk. 

7.  Professor  Barton  of  the  Institute  of  Tech- 
nology has  two  splendid  lectures,  one  on  Greenland 
and  the  other  on  Labrador,  which  he  gives  at  a 
nominal  charge  of  one  dollar.  These  are  two  of  the 
most  instructive  and  delightful  lectures  to  be 
secured  anywhere. 

8.  Most  of  the  Boston  schools  have  from  a  few 
sets  to  several  thousand  slides,  which  may  usually 
be  secured  in  exchange  for  the  loan  of  other  slides. 


CHAPTER  X 

BRIEF  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  GEOLOGY  OF 
THE  BOSTON  BASIN 

THE  area  included  in  the  Boston  Basin  is  not 
only  greatly  diversified  in  surface  but  is  of 
great  geologic  interest;  containing  a  large  variety 
of  rocks.  In  fact,  the  topography  is  so  largely 
dependent  upon  the  character  of  the  underlying 
strata  that  an  understanding  of  the  basic  features 
is  absolutely  necessary  to  a  correct  interpretation 
of  the  broad  features  of  the  region.  At  the  same 
time  it  is  not  proposed,  in  this  brief  treatise,  to 
give  an  extended  account  of  the  geology  of  the 
Basin. 
Four  great  classes  of  rocks  are  found  here : 

1.  Plutonic  rocks,  —  those  which  have  been  con- 
solidated at  a  great  depth  below  the  surface. 
They  include  granite,  porphyry,  syenite,  etc.,  and 
are  exemplified  in  the  granitoid  rocks  of  the  Blue 
Hills  region. 

2.  Aqueous  and  stratified  rocks,  composed  of 
sediments  worn  away  from  the  old  upland  and  laid 
down  in  ancient  seas,  then  subjected  to  pressure, 
hardened  into  rock,  and  subsequently  raised  above 
the  sea.     Such  are  the  shales  of  Braintree,  the 


BOSTON  BASIN  173 

conglomerates  or  " pudding-stones"  of  Roxbury, 
and  the  Nahant  rocks,  which  are  among  the  oldest 
in  the  world. 

3.  Eruptive  rocks,  formed  of  the  ejectments  from 
volcanoes ;  these  are  exemplified  in  the  volcanic 
rocks  at  Nantasket  and  Quincy. 

4.  Metamorphic  rocks,  produced  by  the  altera- 
tion of  older  rocks  through  heat,  subjection  to  burial 
and  pressure,  and  to  changes  brought  about  by 
atmospheric  agencies.  Examples  of  these  are  the 
felsites  of  the  Middlesex  Fells  and  the  Somerville 
slates. 

Spread  out  over  almost  the  entire  surface  of  the 
Basin,  and  covering  most  of  the  underlying  rocks, 
often  to  a  great  depth,  is  a  mass  of  unassorted 
clay,  sand,  gravel  and  boulders  —  " glacial  till"  — 
brought  down  from  the  north  by  the  great  ice 
sheet.  This  enormous  body  of  till  or  " drift"  has 
given  the  region  its  characteristic  features,  since 
much  of  it  was  deposited  in  the  form  of  rounded 
hills  called  drumlins,  and  still  more  as  large  irreg- 
ular masses  of  sand  and  gravel.  The  ice  tore  boul- 
ders from  ledges,  and  in  some  cases  dug  basin-like 
hollows  in  the  rock. 

The  many  ponds,  lakes  and  waterfalls  which  add 
so  much  to  the  natural  beauty  of  the  region  are 
also  the  direct  result  of  the  glacial  invasion.  The 
transported  drift  blocked  up  many  of  the  old  val- 
leys, damming  the  outlets  of  the  old  streams,  and 
thereby  producing  many  of  the  ponds  and  swamps 
which  are  so  common.  It  filled  the  channels  of  many 


174  FIELD  LESSONS 

of  the  rivers,  turning  them  out  of  their  former 
courses,  and  by  thus  diverting  them  turned  them 
into  new  channels,  where  they  came  upon  hard  rock 
ledges,  producing  cascades  and  rapids.  A  type 
example  may  be  found  at  Hemlock  Gorge,  Newton 
Upper  Falls,  where  the  Charles  now  cascades  over 
the  hard  conglomerate. 

In  other  words,  the  Boston  Basin  has  witnessed 
many  great  geologic  changes  in  the  past.  The 
Blue  Hills  at  Milton  are  the  worn-down  remnants 
of  once  mighty  mountains  that  lifted  their  snow- 
clad  summits  far  above  the  clouds.  Their  eleva- 
tion was  accompanied  by  intense  heat  that  changed 
the  structure  of  the  rock  masses  deep  below  the 
surface.  During  the  untold  ages  that  have  since 
elapsed,  the  mountains  have  disappeared,  and  as  we 
stand  upon  the  present  summit  of  Great  Blue  Hill 
our  feet  press  upon  rocks  that  were  once  miles  be- 
low the  surface,  deep  down  among  the  roots  of  the 
ancient  mountains. 

When  we  sit  upon  the  rocks  of  Nahant's  pic- 
turesque shore  we  are  resting  upon  a  structure  over 
which  thundered  the  billows  of  an  old  sea.  Thou- 
sands of  ages  before  man  appeared  upon  the  earth 
these  rocks  formed  the  muddy  bottom  of  an  ocean 
whose  waters  were  not  yet  cooled  from  the  primal 
creation,  and  the  stony-covered  trilobite  was  earth's 
highest  type  of  life. 

As  we  view  the  Quincy  hills  where  workmen  are 
quarrying  granite,  it  is  hard  to  picture  these  low 
hills  as  mighty  volcanoes  belching  forth  steam  and 


BOSTON  BASIN  175 

lava;  yet  geologists  tell  us  that  such  they  once 
were,  and  far  loftier  than  are  Hecla  or  Vesuvius 
to-day,  and  grander  in  their  terrific  explosions. 
But  that  was  very  long  ago,  in  the  dim  ages  of  the 
earth's  childhood. 

When  we  stroll  about  among  the  beauties  of  the 
far-famed  Middlesex  Fells  we  are  among  rocks 
more  ancient  than  the  volcanic  remains  at  Quincy ; 
for  these  strata  were  buried  by  the  volcanic  erup- 
tions from  Quincy,  and  their  structure  was  changed 
by  the  heat  and  the  enormous  pressure  of  the 
overlying  lava.  A  bit  of  felsite  picked  up  in  your 
rambles  here  could  tell  you  a  wonderful  story  would 
you  but  study  its  history  and  the  changes  in  the 
earth's  crust  that  brought  it  to  its  present  form 
and  position. 

The  smooth  rounded  hills  we  see  all  about  us  in 
the  Boston  Basin  are  mute  witnesses  of  a  time 
when  this  whole  region  was  buried  beneath  a 
thousand  feet  of  solid  ice,  —  the  last  great  geo- 
logic change  but  one  which  the  region  has  under- 
gone ;  for  this  huge  mass  of  ice  depressed  the  sur- 
face to  a  considerable  extent,  and  upon  the  retreat 
of  the  glacier  the  land  rose  somewhat,  as  numerous 
old  sea-beaches  show. 

Some  of  the  lasting  effects  of  the  glacial  age  are 
seen  when  we  view  the  topography  of  the  Boston 
Basin  from  an  elevation  like  the  tower  in  General 
Lawrence's  Park.  We  see,  scattered  over  the  level 
floor  of  the  basin,  a  large  number  of  hills  similar  in 
shape  and  in  trend,  composed  of  sand,  clay  and 


176  FIELD  LESSONS 

gravel,  with  a  mixture  of  boulders  of  all  sizes  and 
kinds.  These  drumlins  are  remnants  of  the  material 
that  was  scraped  off  the  surface  of  the  land  as  the 
ice-sheet  came  down  from  the  region  of  Labrador 
and  Hudson  Bay.  The  shining  lakes,  glistening 
like  diamonds  in  their  turquoise  setting  of  forest, 
are  also  due  to  the  former  presence  of  the  glacier; 
and  while  the  ice-sheet  robbed  New  England  of 
her  fertile  soil,  and  so  made  the  first  century  of  col- 
onization here  a  bitter  struggle  for  existence,  it 
added  those  picturesque  features  that  give  such  a 
charm  to  this  part  of  the  country. 

SUMMARY 

In  the  preceding  pages  we  have  described  some- 
what in  detail  the  features  of  the  different  parts 
of  the  Boston  Basin.  Let  us  now  summarize 
these  facts  and  try  to  get  a  clear  idea  of  the 
wonderful  changes  through  which  this  area  has 
gone. 

In  the  earliest  times  of  which  we  have  any  record, 
the  Eozoic  age,  the  basin  was  beneath  the  sea. 
A  vast  amount  of  sediment  from  the  ancient  land 
area  was  deposited  over  this  sea-bottom,  forming 
a  great  depth  of  mud  which  was  for  the  most  part 
clayey,  though  in  some  places  calcareous  or 
silicious. 

Then  came  a  disturbance  of  this  part  of  the  earth's 
crust,  during  which  these  deposits  were  strongly 
compressed,  being  solidified  into  slates  and  thrown 


BOSTON  BASIN  177 

into  sharp  folds  having  a  generally  northeast  and 
southwest  direction.  This  movement  of  the  crust 
was  accompanied  by  intense  volcanic  activity,  as 
is  usually  the  case  in  upheavals  of  the  sea-bottom. 
The  slate  and  quartzite  were  shattered  and  iso- 
lated by  great  volumes  of  basic  lava  which  we  call 
diorite.  Immense  floods  of  this  were  poured  out 
upon  the  surface,  covering  the  sedimentary  rocks. 

This  elevation  and  volcanic  eruption  was  prob- 
ably followed  by  a  very  long  period  of  quiet  erosion, 
during  which  the  sea  and  the  atmospheric  agencies 
greatly  reduced  the  height  of  the  uplifted  strata. 

A  second  period  of  intense  and  long-continued 
igneous  action  followed,  when  only  acid  rocks  — 
granites  and  felsites  —  were  erupted.  The  granite 
appears  in  many  different  varieties,  syenite  being 
one  of  the  most  common.  The  felsite  was  formed 
chiefly  as  surface  flows  of  acid  lava.  There  must 
have  been  several  distinct  periods  of  eruption; 
though  they  were  probably  not  separated  by  long 
intervals  of  time. 

These  eruptions  were  followed  by  a  long  period  of 
quiescence,  during  which  the  area  suffered  greatly 
from  erosion,  though  not  reduced  to  sea-level. 

An  important  and  long-continued  downward 
movement  finally  began ;  and  as  the  surface  of  the 
land  slowly  passed  below  the  level  of  the  sea  a 
thick  bed  of  conglomerate  was  spread  over  this  re- 
gion. The  product  of  the  previous  chemical  de- 
cay of  the  rocks  was  rapidly  worked  over  by  the 
waves,  and  the  fine  silt,  or  clay,  was  carried  out  into 


178  FIELD  LESSONS 

the  deeper  water  of  the  ocean,  while  the  coarser 
materials  were  strewn  along  the  advancing  beach. 
This  subsidence  and  rapid  deposition  of  sediments 
was  accompanied  by  volcanic  activity.  The  erup- 
tions were  largely  surface  flows  from  craters  located 
in  or  near  the  sea,  though  the  exact  position  of  these 
vents  has  not  as  yet  been  ascertained. 

Floods  of  liquid  lava  were  repeatedly  poured  out 
over  the  sea-floor  where  beds  of  gravel  and  sand 
were  forming;  and  thus  we  find,  as  at  Nantasket 
and  Brighton,  beds  of  conglomerate  and  sandstone 
alternating  with  beds  or  flows  of  melaphyr  and 
porphyrite.  Sometimes  the  successive  flows  of 
lava  followed  each  other  so  rapidly  that  they  formed 
very  thick  sheets  of  volcanic  rock  without  any  sed- 
iments between,  as  the  rocks  at  Hingham,  Need- 
ham,  etc.,  prove.  Occasionally  the  eruptions  were 
explosive,  and  beds  of  volcanic  tufa  were  formed, 
as  at  Nantasket,  Brighton  and  Newton. 

Oscillations  of  level  probably  occurred,  as  alter- 
nations of  the  conglomerate  with  beds  of  both 
sandstone  and  slate  are  frequently  found.  But 
the  downward  movement  prevailed,  until  finally 
the  water  became  too  deep  and  quiet  and  too  re- 
mote from  shore  to  permit  the  formation  of  con- 
glomerate and  sandstone.  These  coarse  sediments 
were  gradually  replaced  by  slate  during  the  dying 
out  of  the  volcanic  activity. 

These  tranquil  deep-sea  conditions  must  have 
continued  for  a  very  long  time;  for  the  fine  slate 
sediments  accumulate  very  slowly,  and  yet  they 


BOSTON  BASIN  179 

acquired  a  depth  of  a  thousand  feet  or  more.  A 
few  fossils  found  in  the  Nahant  slates  give  us  a  hint 
of  the  life  that  existed  in  these  ancient  seas. 

During  this  long  period  of  quiet  deposition  the 
subterranean  forces  were  slowly  gathering  strength 
for  renewed  activity;  and  when  the  weakened 
crust  below  the  still  unconsolidated  sediments  could 
no  longer  resist  the  growing  horizontal  pressure,  it 
yielded,  and  thus  inaugurated  an  important  geo- 
logical revolution.  The  slate  and  conglomerate 
were  powerfully  compressed  in  a  north  and  south 
direction,  and  thrown  into  a  series  of  gigantic  folds, 
having  a  general  east  and  west  trend.  Although 
they  have  suffered  enormous  erosion,  these  folds, 
when  not  drift-covered,  are  still  distinctly  trace- 
able, the  ridges  or  anticlines  being  marked  by  beds 
of  conglomerate,  and  the  hollows  or  synclines  by 
beds  of  slate.  The  great  conglomerate  anticline 
running  through  the  middle  of  the  Boston. Basin  is 
the  central  arch  in  a  somewhat  symmetrical  series 
of  folds.  To  the  north  is  the  Boston,  Brookline  and 
Newton  syncline  of  slate,  and  south  of  it  is  the  Dor- 
chester and  West  Roxbury  syncline  of  slate.  Con- 
glomerate anticlines  border  these  on  the  north  and 
south. 

The  strata  were  extensively  broken  and  faulted 
as  well  as  folded,  and  in  some  parts  of  the  basin 
the  displacements  have  more  to  do  with  the  present 
topography  than  does  the  folding. 

The  Boston  Basin  itself  is  probably  the  result, 
in  part  at  least,  of  a  great  slip  of  the  crust.    The 


180  FIELD  LESSONS 

sharply  defined  northern  and  southern  margins  of 
the  basin  are  best  explained  as  due  to  profound 
faults  along  these  two  lines.  The  downthrow  in 
each  case  was  towards  the  centre  of  the  basin,  and 
these  two  great  displacements  must  be  regarded  as 
of  primary  importance  in  the  geological  structure 
of  this  region.  They  present  on  the  upthrow  side 
two  solid  walls  of  crystalline  rocks  between  which 
the  great  central  area  of  sedimentary  and  volcanic 
rocks  has  first  settled  down  and  then  suffered  com- 
pression, as  in  a  huge  vise,  by  the  approach  of  these 
north  and  south  walls,  producing  the  great  folds 
already  noticed  and  most  of  the  minor  faults  of 
this  region. 

The  whole  area  was  doubtless  elevated  at  this 
time,  and  has  remained  a  land  area  —  an  area  of 
erosion  —  during  the  whole  latter  half  of  the  earth's 
history.  During  this  enormous  lapse  of  time  the 
surface  has  been  reduced  by  erosion  from  a  region  of 
lofty  mountains  to  one  of  very  moderate  relief. 
The  eroded  material  has  been  spread  out  on  the 
sea  floor  or  scraped  off  by  the  great  glacier. 

Quiet  erosion,  accomplished  chiefly  by  chemical 
agencies,  and  finally  reducing  this  region  nearly  if 
not  quite  to  a  base-level  plain,  is  then,  so  far  as  we 
know,  the  whole  story  of  the  Boston  Basin  during 
the  vast  interval  of  time  separating  this  period  of 
great  disturbance  from  the  marked  elevation  of 
the  continent  which  gradually  ushered  in  the  glacial 
epoch.  Mechanical  erosion  was  then  in  the  ascend- 
ant; but  it  does  not  appear  probable  that  the  ice- 


BOSTON  BASIN  181 

sheet  modified  the  topography  so  much  by  the  ero- 
sion of  the  hard  rocks  as  by  the  accumulations  of 
drift  which  it  left  upon  the  surface  in  the  forms  of 
drumlins,  sand  plains,  clay  beds  and  kames.  The 
high  land  north  of  the  basin  was,  on  account  of  its 
elevation,  an  area  mainly  of  glacial  erosion ;  while 
the  detritus  scraped  from  it  into  the  basin  made  this 
mainly  an  area  of  deposition,  as  the  drumlins  testify. 
During  the  period  of  greatest  glaciation  the-ice  sheet 
extended  far  to  the  south  and  east  of  Boston,  to 
Cape  Cod  and  Nantucket  and  possibly  much  farther. 

A  subsidence  of  the  land  finally  brought  back  a 
milder  climate  and  the  margin  of  the  ice-sheet  re- 
treated northward.  It  did  not  halt  long  enough  in 
this  vicinity  to  form  any  distinct  terminal  moraines ; 
and  the  ground  moraine  or  till  was  left  chiefly  in 
the  form  of  drumlins.  Partly  by  subglacial  streams, 
but  mainly  by  the  great  torrents  and  the  temporary 
lakes  resulting  from  the  final  melting  of  the  ice,  the 
drift  was  very  largely  modified,  —  that  is,  washed, 
assorted  and  stratified  into  the  sand-plains,  gravel 
ridges,  or  kames  and  clay  beds,  which  now  so  gener- 
ally occupy  or  fill  the  old  valleys  and  form  deltas 
where  the  valleys  emerge  from  the  high  land  bor- 
dering the  basin. 

In  the  distribution  of  the  drift,  and  especially  of 
the  modified  drift,  we  have  an  adequate  explana- 
tion of: 

(a)  The  ponds,  lakes  and  swamps  of  this  region, 
as  well  as  the  dry  kettles  or  depressions  of  the  sand 
plains ;   and 


182  FIELD  LESSONS 

(b)  The  diverted  and  circuitous  drainage  and 
the  resulting  waterfalls.  The  elevation  of  the  land 
during  the  coming  of  the  ice  age  enabled  the  streams 
to  deepen  their  channels  to  such  an  extent  that, 
although  subsequent  subsidence  has  not  apparently 
reduced  the  land  to  its  pre-glacial  level,  the  rocky- 
beds  of  the  larger  streams  are,  near  their  mouths, 
from  one  hundred  to  two  hundred  feet  below  the 
level  of  the  sea. 

Since  the  close  of  the  glacial  epoch  the  streams 
of  the  Boston  Basin,  with  their  greatly  reduced 
slope  and  volume,  have  made  but  little  progress 
in  clearing  out  their  drift-encumbered  valleys; 
but  along  the  shore  the  sea  has  worked  with  its 
usual  energy,  cutting  away  the  drift  formations 
within  its  reach  and  laying  down  extensive  beach, 
bar  and  marsh  deposits.  The  organic  deposits  — 
peat  and  tripolite,  as  well  as  the  bog-iron  ore  now 
forming  in  many  bogs  and  marshes  —  are  other  phe- 
nomena which  must  be  referred  to  the  present  or 
post-glacial  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  Boston 
Basin. 

Foreign  Steamship  Lines  entering  Boston 

Information  as  to  the  arrival  of  vessels  from 
foreign  ports  may  be  obtained  and  almost  inva- 
riably permission  secured  to  go  on  shipboard  up 
to  the  day  before  sailing  by  writing  the  agent  of 
the  company.  The  accompanying  schedule  con- 
tains a  list  of  the  different  lines  having  regular 
commerce  with  this  port. 


BOSTON  BASIN 


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184  FIELD  LESSONS 


INTERESTING  FACTS  ABOUT  BOSTON 

Settled  in  1630;  became  a  city  in  1822. 

1704,  The  first  newspaper  in  North  America  was 
printed  here,  the  "Boston  News  Letter." 

In  1750  it  was  the  largest  town  in  the  country 
with  a  population  of  25,000. 

1770,  March  5,  Boston  Massacre  in  King  Street 
(now  State  Street). 

1773,  December  16,  "Boston  Tea  Party"  at 
Griffin's  (now  Liverpool)  Wharf. 

1776,  March  17,  British  evacuated  the  city. 

1807-1815.  Port  of  Boston  closed  by  the  Embargo 
Act.     Commerce  ruined. 

1822.  First  charter  granted.  Population  about 
50,000. 

1840,  population  93,000;  in  1860,  177,000;  in 
1880,  362,000;  in  1900,  560,000;  in  1910,  670,585. 

1872.  Great  fire  destroyed  $70,000,000  worth 
of  property. 

1830-1860.  Boston  was  the  centre  of  the  Abo- 
lition movement. 

1800-1900.  Area  of  Boston  proper  was  increased 
from  780  acres  to  more  than  1,830  acres  by  filling  in 
tidal  flats. 

Nicknamed  "The  Hub  of  the  Solar  System"  by 
Oliver  Wendell  Holmes;  called  "The  Hub."  Also 
called  "The  Athens  of  America,"  because  of  the 
famous  philosophers  and  literary  men  it  has 
produced. 

Named  for  Boston  in  Lincolnshire,  England. 


BOSTON  BASIN  185 

Is  said  to  be  the  most  English  in  appearance  of  all 
American  cities. 

"Mere  wealth  probably  counts  for  less  in  Boston 
than  in  any  other  large  American  city." — Baedeker. 

Is  the  wealthiest  city  in  the  country  in  proportion 
to  its  population.  Valuation  in  1907,  $1,313,470,- 
556. 

Second  city  in  the  country  in  foreign  commerce. 
In  February,  1910,  foreign  trade  amounted  to 
$19,886,618,  while  that  of  Philadelphia,  the  nearest 
rival,  was  $13,563,291. 

Second  wool  market  in  the  world,  surpassed  only 
by  London. 

Second  fish  market  in  the  world,  surpassed  only 
by  London. 

Great  receiving  and  distributing  centre  for  leather 
and  manufactured  leather  goods. 

Manufacturing  concerns  employ  sixty  thousand 
hands. 

Value  of  goods  manufactured  here  is  nearly 
$200,000,000  a  year.  Leather,  boots  and  shoes, 
hardware,  machinery,  refined  sugar,  cotton  goods, 
books,  principal  manufactured  articles. 

Important  railroad  centre.  Boston  &  Maine, 
New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford  and  Boston  & 
Albany,  principal  lines. 

Has  one  of  the  largest  railway  stations  in  the 
country. 

Finest  system  of  public  parks  of  any  city  in  the 
world. 

Fifth  city  in  size  in  the  United  States. 

Second  only  to  New  York  in  the  output  of  books 
and  magazines. 


186  FIELD  LESSONS 

Has  one  of  the  best  harbors  in  the  world. 

Contains  many  famous  Colonial  and  Revolutionary- 
landmarks. 

Has  an  area  of  forty-three  square  miles. 

Has  done  more  to  help  develop  the  West  than  any 
other  city. 

Controls  the  copper  market  of  the  world. 

Has  many  great  philanthropic  and  charitable 
organizations. 


DOES  WOT  CIRCULATE 


BOSTON  COLLEGE 


3  9031   01565635  8 

53991 


DOES  NOT  CIRCULATE 


tijd  */( 


BOSTON  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  HEIGHTS 
CHESTNUT  HILL,  MASS. 

Books  may  be  kept  for  two  weeks  and  may 
be  renewed  for  the  same  period,  unless  re- 
served. 

Two  cents  a  day  is  charged  for  each  book 
kept  overtime. 

If  you  cannot  find  what  you  want,  ask  the 
Librarian  who  •    ll  be  glad  to  help  you. 

The  borrower  is  responsible  for  books  drawn 
on  his  card  and  for  all  fines  accruing  on  the 
same. 


